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REMINISCENCES 


BY 


KELIX  IVIORRIS. 


" nothing  extenuate, 

Nor  set  down  aught  in  malice." 

Otiieli.o. 


NEW  YORK : 
INTERNATIONAL  TELEGRAM  COMPANY 


DEDICATION. 


I  affectionately  dedicate  this  little  work 
to  the  Old  Actors  of  our  profession,  those 
who  commenced,  as  I  did,  at  the  very  bottom 
of  the  ladder — veterans,  who  have  borne  the 
heat  and  brunt  of  the  battle  for  many  a  year, 
and  who  now  find  themselves  elbowed  away, 
pushed  aside  in  the  struggle  and  almost  for- 
gotten. 

In  remembrance  of  the  kindness,  good-will 
and  loyalty  of  the  past, 

I  subscribe  myself, 

Thtir  Friend, 


New  York, 
u.  s.  A. 


PREFACE. 

The  honor  of  prefacing  this  dainty 
volume  has  been  allotted  to  me.  It  is 
the  modest  record  of  a  modest  toiler,  the 
fruit  of  whose  toil  is  beginning  to  show  its 
golden-ripe  side. 

Felix  Morris  long  ago  consecrated  his 
life  to  art.  The  road  by  which  he 
reached  his  present  eminence,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  "judicious  few/'  and  in 
the  admiration  of  the  enthusiastic  many, 
was  not  a  primrose  path.  Often  his  feet 
have  smitten  the  cruel  stones ;  and  pang 
instead  of  pleasure,  poverty  instead  of 
prosperity,  long  stalked  at  his  side  and 
mocked  his  effort.  But  never  has  Hope 
forsaken  him   or   turned   away   her  face. 


Like  the  children  in  one  of  the  pretty 
fancies  of  a  great  master  of  the  human 
heart,  he  sees  the  star  always  shining. 
Failure  does  not  dismay  him.  He  learns 
wisdom  from  rebuif,  and  turns  to  Nature 
in  the  sure  confidence  that  if  he  can  but 
reproduce  one  of  her  unnumbered  forms 
with  a  fair  measure  of  fidelity,  art  will 
then  have  its  advancement  and  labor  its 
reward. 

These  reminiscences  are  a  simple  and 
direct  recital  of  a  career  of  unintermitting 
struggle,  of  many  defeats,  of  few  cheering 
victories,  of  invincible  patience,  of  tireless 
industry  and  of  abiding  faith  in  ideals. 
Necessarily  they  are  personal ;  and  while 
they  do  not  compass  a  complete  autobiog- 
raphy, they  nevertheless  give  us  large 
glimpses  of  the   life  of  a  player  who  has 


fixed  what  appears  as  an  enduring  impress 
upon  the  stage  of  his  time.  Incidentally, 
they  illustrate  the  movement  in  theatrical 
art,  and  they  acquaint  us  with  many  inside 
facts  in  theatrical  history.  The  familiar 
style  in  which  they  are  written  makes 
them  pleasant  reading.  To  us  who  have 
enjoyed  personal  association  with  the 
author  of  them,  they  come  as  a  direct 
message — hearty,  humorous,  sincere;  free 
from  offensive  egotism  and  characteristic 
of  the  man.  In  no  respect  does  the 
sweet  gentleness  of  his  nature  appear 
more  fair  than  in  his  acknowledged  and 
obvious  dependence  upon  the  beloved 
companion  who  has  long  been  his  discreet 
counselor  and  alert  guide. 

Geo.   p.  Goodale. 
Detroit,  Nov.  19,  1892. 


FELIX    MORRIS. 


FELIX  MORRIS'S  REMINISCENCES. 
I. 

IT  is  really  remarkable  how  many  re- 
cruits the  stage  has  obtained,  of  late 
years,  from  the  medical  profession.  The 
embryo  doctor — the  medical  student,  or 
"Sawbones,"  as  Sam  Weller  called  him — 
is  often  an  erratic  creature,  who  devotes 
himself  with  flaming  enthusiasm  to  any 
form  of  amusement  to  the  almost  certain 
neglect  of  his  professional  studies.  At 
least,  such  was  my  own  case,  in  my  stu- 
dent days,  at  Guy's  Hospital,  London. 
A  victim  of  the  amateur  theatrical  craze — 
carried  away  by  the  mild  success  of  my 


lO         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

efforts,  which  were  magnified  into  glorious 
triumphs  by  my  fellows — I  determined  to 
abandon  physic  for  sock  and  buskin,  and, 
to  the  intense  disappointment  of  those 
who  had  a  right  to  expect  better  things  ol 
me,  I  started  for  the  United  States,  with 
very  little  money  in  my  pocket,  but  forti- 
fied with  a  supply  of  determination  and 
ambition  that  I  had  never  displayed  in 
any  previous  undertaking. 

In  my  optimistic  eyes  my  future  was 
assured,  for  of  worldly  wisdom  I  had 
none  and  of  practical  common  sense  I  re- 
joiced in  the  possession  of  a  very  short 
allowance.  Thus  equipped,  I  set  out  to 
revolutionize  the  stage.  I  would  court 
the  Tragic  Muse,  I  thought,  and  modern- 
ize the  art.  Granted,  my  face  and  figure 
were  not  of  the  romantic  mould,  but  what 


FEMX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  I  I 

of  that  ?  Little  David  Garrick  had  con- 
quered such  trivial  deficiencies,  and  I 
would  do  likewise,  I  said.  America  ! 
what  a  busy  world  it  seemed  ;  how  the 
rush  of  life  dazed  me ;  how  powerless  I 
felt — an  absolute  stranger  without  even  an 
introduction.  What  to  do  or  where  to 
turn  were  serious  questions,  and,  standing 
face  to  face  with  stern  reality,  how  my 
dreams  vanished.  The  battle  of  life  was 
all  before  me — grim,  silent  and  menacing. 
I  had  no  one  to  advise  me,  and  my  ex- 
chequer was  steadily  diminishing.  There 
would  be  no  chance  for  me  in  a  great 
metropolis  where  competition  was  so  much 
keener  than  in  a  smaller  city  ;  and  thus 
reasoning  I  hit  upon  Albany  as  my  field 
of  action.  I  could  reach  my  destination 
at  a  very  slight  outlay ;  a  ticket  on  the 


12         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

night  boat  would  do  very  well ;  and  thus 
fate,  fortune,  destiny,  what  you  will, 
brought  me  to  the  old  Knickerbocker 
City. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  first  journey  in 
the  New  World.  It  was  a  June  night, 
and  I  rapturously  viewed  the  lovely  scen- 
ery along  the  Hudson,  and  it  entranced 
me.  Indeed,  its  splendor  made  me  quite 
forget  the  discomfort  of  a  deck  passage. 
I  sat  up  all  night  watching  the  glorious 
scene,  hallowed  and  softened  in  the  gor- 
geous moonlight.  It  inspired  and  en- 
couraged me,  for  youth  is  ever  hopeful, 
and  such  a  fair  land,  I  told  myself,  would 
treat  a  stranger  kindly.  Here  I  could 
start  afresh,  carve  out  my  own  career  and 
prove  myself  worth  something  after  all. 
Arrived  in  Albany  I  discovered  that  the 


FELIX  morris's  reminiscences.       1 3 

theatrical  season  had  closed.  For  at  least 
two  months  nothing  would  be  done  ;  so  I 
wrote  to  the  stage  manager  of  the  leading 
theater  soliciting  an  interview,  which  he 
kindly  granted.  Desperation  gave  me 
courage,  and  I  deluged  him  w^itha  torrent 
of  enthusiasm.  He  listened  patiently  and 
with  ill-concealed  amusement.  His  ad- 
vice was  excellent. 

"Choose  any  other  career,"  said  he. 
"  Education  opens  the  way  to  success  in 
any  other  pursuit,  in  this  country." 

"Why  not  in  the  theatrical  business, 
then  ? "  I  asked. 

" Uncertainties  too  great;  competition 
too  keen  ;  success  generally  impossible," 
he  rejoined  sententiously. 

My  continued  arguments  to  the  end 
that  the  burning  cause  of  tragedy  might 


14         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

unknowingly  possess  in  me  a  new  Kean 
or  Macready,  drew  forth  the  following 
never- to-be  forgotten  remark  : 

"A  fellow  with  such  a  mug  as  yours 
play  tragedy  ?  Bosh  !  No,  sir,  if  you  go 
into  this  business  you  may  in  fourteen  or 
fifteen  years  be  receiving  $15  per  week, 
and  you'll  be  pretty  doggoned  lucky  if 
you  do  that ! "  I  have  to  acknowledge 
his  foresight  with  regard  to  tragedy, 
and  I  endorse  his  reference  to  the  "mug," 
as  he  termed  it,  but  in  the  matter  of  salary 
his  prophecy  was  not  verified  ;  for  at  the 
expiration  of  fourteen  years  I  found  my- 
self back  in  London  playing  the  Scotch 
Professor  with  an  attendant  compensation 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  week. 

My  interview  with  the  Albany  manager 
ended  without  any  definite  understanding. 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  I  5 

He  was  impressionable  and  very  kindly 
promised  to  do  what  he  could  for  me. 
At  the  same  time  expenses  had  to  be  con- 
sidered, and  after  some  little  difficulty  I 
secured  a  temporary  situation  in  a  drug 
store,  the  compounding  of  medicines 
having  formed  a  part  of  my  education  in 
the  old  country.  In  this  capacity  I  got 
along  very  well,  and  was  enabled  to  pay 
my  own  way  for  the  first  time  in  my  life. 
My  spare  time  was  devoted  to  the  study 
of  legitimate  parts,  and  in  a  very  roomy 
attic  I  howled  through  Richelieu,  mur- 
dered Hamlet,  and  caricatured  Claude 
Melnotte  to  my  heart's  content  and  to 
the  amazement  of  my  fellow  boarders. 
At  length  patience  was  rewarded,  a 
letter  from  the  stage  manager  in  answer 
to     my    numerous     reminders     of     his 


1 6         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

promise  bringing  me  ihe  glad  news  that 
I  could  go  into  the  box-office  of  the 
little  theater  on  Division  street,  and  if  an 
opportunity  were  presented  I  should  be 
entrusted  with  a  small  part  on  the  stage. 
This  was  enough,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  I  found  myself  busily  engaged  in 
box-office  work,  content  to  drudge  in  the 
present,  so  long  as  the  future  held  in  store 
the  fruition  of  my  rosy  dreams.  I  was 
exceeding  verdant  at  first,  of  course, 
and  many  were  the  ingenious  devices  of 
the  enterprising  small  boy  to  gain  admis- 
sion to  the  theater  on  nominal  terms.  I 
had  charge  of  the  gallery  sale  of  tickets, 
and  bogus  shin  plasters  and  rolls  of  neatly 
whittled  brick  with  a  cent  at  each  end 
were  all  too  artistic  for  detection  by  my 
trustful  eye,  and  losses  from  my  lack  of 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  I  7 

cleverness  in  detecting  frauds  of  this  de- 
scription frequently  had  to  be  made  good 
out  of  my  very  small  salary.  Experience 
teaches,  however,  and  I  soon  put  an  end  to 
these  little  pleasantries.  I  really  became  so 
useful  that  I  stood  in  my  own  light,  my 
manager  displaying  no  anxiety  to  give  me 
the  opportunity  I  so  ardently  desired.  But 
nothing  is  truer  than  that  everything 
comes  to  him  who  waits.  Actors  were 
erratic  in  those  days,  and  sudden  indispo- 
sitions were  not  uncommon.  Thus  it 
happened  that  as  I  was  about  to  close  the 
box-office  one  afternoon,  the  stage  man- 
ager came  to  me  and,  in  rather  a  mysteri- 
ous manner,  said  : 

"  Felix,  you  had  better  get  up  in  this 
part,  as  you'll  have  to  go  on  for  it  to- 
night !  " 


10         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCFS. 

"  To-night,"  I  gasped,  "  how  about  re- 
hearsal ? " 

"Come  back  with  me  on  the  stage  and 
I'll  go  through  the  part  with  you,"  he 
said. 

We  groped  our  way  to  the  stage.  I 
could  hardly  see  the  lines  in  the  wretched 
light.  The  stage  manager  was  in  a  hurry 
to  get  home,  and  he  brought  me  on  at 
one  entrance  and  took  me  off  at  another, 
in  the  most  perplexing  manner.  This  he 
repeated  through  the  various  stages  of  the 
play,  until  my  head  began  to  swim,  and 
then  he  hurried  off  to  supper,  saying  it 
would  be  all  right  at  night. 

I  rushed  home  and  did  the  best  I  could 
under  the  circumstances.  Memory  seemed 
to  have  forsaken  me,  but  I  finally  com- 
posed myself  and  got  back  to  the  theater 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.  I9 

fairly  well  prepared  for  the  ordeal.  But 
everything  was  against  me.  Instead  of 
being  allowed  to  go  quietly  to  a  dressing- 
room  and  make  deliberate  preparations  I 
was  compelled  to  sell  my  gallery  tickets  as 
usual,  and  it  was  not  until  five  minutes 
before  the  curtain  went  up  that  I  was  re- 
leased. I  rushed  down  to  the  dressing- 
room  in  mad  haste  and  speechless  with 
excitement.  The  part  I  had  to  play  was 
that  of  a  detective  whose  duty  it  was  to 
arrest  the  villain  of  the  piece,  and  to  guard 
me  against  resistance  at  the  villain's  hands 
I  was  escorted  by  two  military  representa- 
tives of  the  British  Army — in  reality  two 
very  sad-looking  supers,  in  dirty,  red  coats 
and  gaiters  and  carrying  old-fashioned 
muskets.  The  overture  was  finished  in 
an  inconceivably  short  space  of  time,  and 


20        FELIX   MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

I  found  myself  standing  with  my  escort, 
in  an  upper  entrance  waiting  for  my  cue. 

Thoughts  of  home,  of  the  unexpected 
opportunity,  of  all  that  I  had  gone  through 
for  this  one  supreme  moment,  brought  a 
big  lump  into  my  throat.  I  was  rudely 
awakened,  however,  by  an  unexpected  dig 
in  the  back.  This  was  a  friendly  reminder 
that  my  cue  had  come  and  a  roll  of  the 
drum  in  the  orchestra  announced  our 
approach.  I  boldly  sallied  forth,  fol- 
lowed by  my  escort. 

*  *  *  *  Flash-bang-crash — 
where  am  I  ?  Is  the  whole  building  on 
fire  ?  Jets  of  light  surround  me,  the 
stage  heaves  again  ;  am  I  in  heaven  or  the 
other  place  ?  Thunders  of  applause 
from  the  boys  in  front  of  the  house  cut 
off  my  last  glimmer  of  reason.     I  float 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         21 

down  to  the  extreme  R.  cor.  and  clap 
the  defiant  villain  on  the  back.  With  a 
snarl  and  an  imprecation  he  turns  upon 
me.  Mental  and  physical  paralysis  follow ; 
utterance  is  beyond  me.  I  stand  and  gasp 
at  him — chained  to  the  spot  in  convulsive 
spasms. 

The  line  I  should  have  spoken — "  Ro- 
land Hetherington,  I  arrest  you  " — was 
whispered  and  muttered  and  finally  shouted 
by  every  person  on  the  stage,  except  my- 
self. The  audience  after  a  while  took  in 
the  situation,  and  fairly  screamed  with 
laughter. 

"Take  him  off,  take  him  off,"  was 
shouted  from  behind  the  scenes,  and  I  was 
summarily  led  off  by  my  military  escort, 
the  bold,  bad  man,  who  should  have 
resisted  arrest  in  a  most  spirited  manner, 


22         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

having  to  follow  in  our  wake  in  the 
meekest  and  most  lamb-like  way  imagin- 
able. Thus  did  my  golden  apples  turn  to 
ashes  and  thus  ended  my  first  professional 
appearance  on  the  stage. 

I  was  soon  recalled  to  the  reality  of 
affairs  by  the  voice  of  my  manager,  who 
in  emphatic  language  told  me  to  get  into 
the  box-oflfice  and  never  show  my  nose  on 
his  stage  again.  I  expostulated,  but  to 
no  purpose,  and  finally  settled  matters  by 
sending  in  my  resignation,  which  was 
promptly  accepted.  My  kind  friend,  Wal- 
ter Keeble,  the  stage  manager,  tried  to 
dissuade  me,  but  without  avail.  He 
pathetically  warned  me  of  the  rigors  of 
winter,  predicting  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships ahead,  if  I  persisted  in  my  deter- 
mination.    Poor  Walter  Keeble  has  long 


.     FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES,  23 

since  passed  away.  A  kind  heart  was  his 
and  he  was  a  good  actor,  and  a  consider- 
ate man  and  a  true  friend.  I  gladly  add 
my  small  tribute  to  his  memory. 

II. 

In  spite  of  friendly  advice  I  stuck  to 
my  determination  and  at  the  end  of  the 
week  severed  my  connection  with  the 
Division  street  theater.  After  setding  up 
all  indebtedness  I  had  a  balance  on  hand 
of  about  eight  dollars.  With  this  munifi- 
cent sum  I  determined  to  tempt  fortune 
again.  It  was  at  the  end  of  October  and 
early  winter  was  approaching.  In  quitting 
Albany  I  took  the  precaution  of  leaving 
behind  me  my  dress  suit,  which  afterward 
proved  of  great  service  to  me.  In  fact, 
that  dress  suit  played  a  conspicuous   part 


24         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENXES. 

in  my  varying  fortunes  later  on.  I  went 
away  from  Albany  with  more  hope,  per- 
haps, than  circumstances  justified  and 
made  New  York  my  objective  point. 

I  felt  that  my  slight  experience  in  the- 
atrical business  would  help  me  there  and 
enable  me  in  some  way  or  another  to 
carry  out  my  cherished  hopes.  I  man- 
aged my  little  capital  as  carefully  as  pos- 
sible, allowing  myself  fifty  cents  a  day  to 
cover  all  expenses.  I  sought  out  the 
theatrical  agencies  in  New  York  and  was 
dismayed  at  the  crowds  of  applicants. 
I  timidly  approached  the  lairs  of  the 
theatrical  lions  and  was  dismissed  before  I 
had  even  stated  my  case.  This  occurred 
again  and  again  until  I  realized  the  abso- 
lute hopelessness  of  my  position.  Slowly 
I  became  convinced  that  I  must  turn   to 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  25 

something  else.  I  would  apply  for  a  situ- 
ation in  some  business  house — an  insur- 
ance or  a  lawyer's  office — anywhere,  in 
fact.  There  would  be,  surely,  no  diffi- 
culty, I  argued,  in  the  matter,  with  my 
knowledge  of  French  and  German. 

Filled  with  these  ideas  I  would  sally 
forth,  bent  upon  sccuiing  something  to  do 
and  then  hesitate,  doubtful  of  my  recep- 
tion. I  would  linger  for  an  hour  on  the 
threshold  of  some  business  house  and  at 
last,  in  sheer  desperation,  sneak  in  and  in 
quavering  tones  ask  if  there  were  a  vacancy 
in  the  establishment,  or  timidly  state  that 
I  was  looking  for  a  situation.  I  was  in- 
variably dismissed  with  scant  courtesy  and 
would  turn  away  heart-broken  and  de- 
jected. Then  I  would  wander  down  to 
the  ocean   steamer    piers   with   the   idea 


26         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

of  working  my  passage  home.  But  I 
shrank  from  the  notion  of  returning  to 
England  a  defeated  man  and  something 
would  dissuade  me.  My  shame  of  defeat 
— a-never-say-die  sort  of  feeling — would 
pull  me  through  and  another  wretched 
day  would  glide  by.  To-morrow,  no  mat- 
ter how  bright  it  seemed  to-day,  brought 
forth  the  same  bitter  experience,  until  my 
money  was  all  gone,  in  spile  of  the  most 
economical  management.  My  fare  for 
the  last  three  days  of  my  struggle  con- 
sisted of  a  roll  of  bread  and  an  apple  for 
breakfast,  and,  by  way  of  variety,  an 
apple  and  a  roll  of  bread  for  supper, 

I  mention  these  facts,  painful  though 
they  be,  that  they  may  serve  as  encourage- 
ment to  any  and  every  struggler  in  life's 
battle.     The  hardships  I  survived  were,  as 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         27 

I  view  them  now,  to  a  great  degree  self- 
imposed.  If  I  had  possessed  one  scrap 
of  the  self-reHance  and  push  of  the  Amer- 
ican boy  I  would  have  made  known  my 
position  and  would  have  met  with  that 
kindness  and  assistance  which  Americans 
are  ever  ready  to  extend  to  those  who  need 
them.  A  placard  finally  caught  my  eye,  as 
I  strolled  along  the  river  front.  It  read  ; 
"  Wanted,  green  hands  for  a  whaling 
voyage."  I  ascended  a  rickety  flight  of 
stairs  and  in  a  few  moments  had  signed 
articles  for  a  four  years'  cruise  in  the 
Pacific  ocean.  That  night  I  was  one  of 
a  number  of  men  who  were  hurried  off  by 
train  to  New  Bedford. 

I  realized  the  mistake  I  had  made  long 
before  our  destination  was  reached,  and 
made  my  plans  accordingly.     The  associ- 


2  6        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

ations  were  too  dreadful  for  words,  and,  an 
opportunity  offering,  I  ran  away  from  the 
whaler  and  walked  from  New  Bedford  to 
Boston,  leaving  my  portmanteau  behind 
me.  This  was  a  great  loss,  as  it  con- 
tained all  my  clothes,  with  the  exception 
of  the  sailor's  suit  in  which  I  was  dressed 
and  in  which  I  made  my  first  appearance 
in  Boston.  I  need  not  dwell  upon  my 
experiences  in  that  city.  They  were  hard 
indeed,  but  I  put  on  a  brave  front  and 
earned  my  daily  bread  by  the  sweat  of  my 
face. 

I  found  employment  in  an  iron  foundry 
and  went  through  my  daily  labor  to  the 
satisfaction  of  my  foreman  and  I  secured 
the  good  will  of  my  fellow-laborers.  The 
strain  was  tremendous,  however.  After 
two   months  of  it   Nature   rebelled,   and 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         29 

I  became  ill — rheumatic  fever  having  taken 
advantage  of  the  situation.  I  was  taken  to 
the  hospital  and  for  eight  weeks  hovered 
between  life  and  death.  In  the  meantime 
my  kind  hearted  Irish  landlady,  rummag- 
ing among  my  papers  during  my  illness, 
discovered  that  I  had  friends  in  England, 
who  were  speedily  communicated  with  and 
assistance  was  thus  elicited.  Simultane- 
ously great  inducements  were  held  out  to 
me  if  I  would  give  up  my  vagabond  ways 
and  return  to  my  native  land.  But  I  de- 
clined and  my  recovery  found  me  more 
determined  than  ever  to  work  out  my  own 
salvation. 

Through  an  advertisement  which  I  an- 
swered, I  secured  a  situation  once  more, 
in  a  drug  store.  Although  greatly  weak- 
ened by  my  long  illness,  a  sufficient  meas- 


30         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

ure  of  success  attended  my  second  season 
as  a  drug  clerk  to  warrant  my  employer 
in  exhausting  all  arguments  at  his  com- 
mand to  persuade  me  to  give  up  my  silly 
stage  notions,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  the 
one  aim  and  object  of  my  life  being  to 
do  what  I  had  set  out  to  do.  So  I  again 
communicated  with  my  kind  friend  Wal- 
ter Keeble,  who  had  undert-aken  the  man- 
agement of  the  Division  street  theater  in 
the  meantime,  and  in  reply  to  my  letter 
he  offered  me  the  position  of  head  super, 
as  it  were,  without  the  promise  of  any 
parts. 

I  was  simply  to  lead  the  shouts,  take 
part  in  any  pageant,  and  make  myself 
generally  useful,  and  for  this  he  would 
pay  me  I5  per  week.  He  thought  in  such 
a  position  I  would  overcome  my  extreme 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  3  I 

nervousness  and  if  I  had  anything  in  me 
it  would  manifest  itself.  I  was  beside 
myself  with  joy  at  the  brilliancy  of  my 
new  prospects,  and  in  the  fulness  of  time 
I  found  myself  once  more  in  Albany  and 
' '  eager  for  the  fray. " 

It  was  certainly  a  great  advantage  to 
me  to  be  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  a  most  painstaking  and  excellent  stage 
manager  in  the  person  of  Charles  Waverly, 
a  man  of  great  experience,  who  would 
spend  hours  with  us  in  rehearsing  some 
fearful  stage  struggle.  He  would  wrestle 
and  tug  and  strain  until  we  all  panted  for 
breath  and  considering  our  stupidity  he 
was  wonderfully  patient  and  abnormally 
hopeful.  Broadsword  combats  were  a 
weakness  of  his,  and  the  way  in  which  we 
slashed  and  cut  at  one  another  and  made 


32         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

the  sparks  fly  was  a  caution.  Dear  Wav- 
erly  has  joined  the  vast  majority,  but  I 
never  think  of  him  without  feelings  of 
gratitude  ;  for  he  taught  me  the  ground- 
work of  my  business.  His  instincts  were 
always  artistic,  and  his  skill  in  make-up 
and  stage  craft  was  remarkable. 

I  worked  with  enthusiasm  and  was  in- 
variably in  the  theater  an  hour  and  a  half 
before  the  curtain  went  up.  I  was  deter- 
mined to  possess  the  virtue  of  being 
prompt,  at  least.  Gradually  1  was  as- 
signed the  responsible  role  of  stage  police- 
man, a  part  I  filled  without  evoking  the 
usual  sarcasm  from  the  gallery.  The  boys 
treated  me  with  the  most  kindly  respect. 
Why  they  were  so  considerate  I  don't 
know  to  this  day ;  for  I  was  certainly  an 
undersized  representative  of  law  and  order. 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         33 

I  took  great  pains  with  my  uniform,  al- 
ways wore  a  cap  that  fitted  me  and  my 
white  cotton  gloves  were  scrupulously 
clean,  while  my  boots  were  polished  most 
extravagantly.  I  was  entrusted,  after  a 
time,  with  the  part  of  a  "snide"  lawyer 
in  some  little  farce,  and  secured  the  first 
legitimate  laughter  I  had  ever  evoked  on 
the  professional  stage.  It  was  a  very 
short  part,  but  it  went  well,  and  my  ever- 
watchful  stage  manager  was  pleased.  I 
felt  emboldened  by  his  encouragement 
and  improved  even  this  slight  opportunity 
to  urge  my  preference  for  tragedy.  He 
roared  with  laughter,  but  noting  the 
pained  expression  on  my  face  he  said  : 
"Well,  never  mind.  I'll  see  what  I  can 
do  for  you. " 

We  used  to  conclude  our  performances 


34         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

on  Saturday  night  with  some  blood-curd- 
ling melodrama  or  nautical  piece.  Charles 
Waverly  was  very  fond  of  heroic  stage 
sailors,  and  he  cast  the  piece — the  "Gipsy 
Farmer  " — and  to  the  amazement  of  every- 
body and  the  chagrin  of  my  rival  utility 
men,  he  gave  me  the  part  of  the  Gypsy 
Farmer^  a  sort  of  heavy  leading  part.  I 
was  in  a  seventh  Heaven,  and  gracious  ! 
how  I  worked  at  my  part ;  how  I  toiled 
in  my  very  small  hall  bedroom  trying  ef- 
fects before  a  looking-glass  that  was  smaller 
than  a  dinner  plate,  all  unabashed  by  the 
comments  of  my  fellow  actors,  some  of 
whom  suggested  that  I  should  play  the 
Farmer  in  a  hauberk.  The  proper  cos- 
tume was  modern,  of  course. 

We  rehearsed  the  piece  most  carefully  ; 
my  enthusiasm  was  boundless ;  the  diflfi- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         35 

cullies  were  overcome  and  the  eventful 
night  arrived.  On  I  dashed  for  my  first 
scene,  which  ended  somewhat  disappoint- 
ingly, for  a  still  small  voice  from  the  gal- 
lery exclaimed,  "Oh,  cheese  it,"  and  the 
audience  tittered.  Nothing  daunted,  how- 
ever, I  waited  for  my  great  scene,  as  I 
thought  it.  I  had  to  rush  on  again,  and 
with  a  heavy  cowhide  pretend  to  strike 
the  juvenile  man  who  was  defending  the 
heroine  from  the  assault  of  some  of  my 
confederates.  Carried  away  by  excitement 
1  brought  the  heavy  whip  down  with  all 
my  might  upon  the  defenceless  head  of 
the  juvenile  man  who,  with  a  groan,  sank 
to  the  stage  exclaiming,  "  Good  God,  I'm 
murdered  !  " 

It  was  some  time  before  confidence  and 
harmony  were  restored,  and  the  accident 


36         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

did  not  advance  my  tragic  aspirations. 
And  so  I  blundered  on,  crushed  by  many 
failures,  only  to  rise  and  try  again.  In  the 
meantime,  as  a  sort  of  side  issue,  I  made 
two  most  careful  character  studies  ;  one 
of  a  negro  barber,  the  other  of  an  Italian 
peanut  vender.  The  colored  barber  had 
the  most  delicious  southern  dialect  and  a 
laugh  that  would  have  been  a  fortune  to  a 
minstrel  performer.  After  much  patient 
eifort  I  acquired  both  the  dialect  and  the 
laugh  with  the  gratifying  result  that  I  be- 
came the  recognized  nigger  of  the  theater. 
I  also  used  my  intimacy  with  the  Italian 
gentleman  as  a  means  to  his  duplication 
on  the  stage,  and  to  very  good  purpose. 

Before  the  end  of  our  season  I  had 
quite  a  little  reputation  and  the  gallery 
boys  were  pleased  to  endorse  me  in  my 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  37 

small  character  efforts,  but  no  encourage- 
ment came  to  me  in  the  line  of  parts  in 
which  I  really  wanted  to  excel.  There- 
fore these  little  successes,  though  sweet, 
were  not  without  a  tinge  of  acidity,  for  I 
was  winning  my  way  simply  by  getting  as 
far  as  possible  from  my  long-cherished 
ideals.  Later  in  my  life,  when  my  hopes 
of  becoming  a  great  tragedian  had  crum- 
bled into  dust  and  I  was  becoming  recon- 
ciled to  the  public's  notion  that  I  belonged 
to  comedy,  I  happened  upon  a  story  of 
Thackeray,  in  which  the  writer  said  that 
it  was  the  dream  of  the  author  of  "Vanity 
Fair "  to  be  regarded  as  a  great  cross- 
country rider.  Even  his  success  in  win- 
ning one  of  the  highest  places  in  English 
literature,  the  narrator  said,  came  to 
Thackeray  minus  the  bloom,  for  simulta- 


38         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

neously  with  one  of  his  greatest  literary 
triumphs  came  to  his  ears  the  frankly  ex- 
pressed opinion  by  a  friend,  that  of  all  the 
absurd  objects  in  England  nothing  could 
possibly  be  more  ridiculous  than  Thacke- 
ray's appearance  when  mounted.  I  never 
heard  of  anything  that  came  home  to  me 
with  more  striking  force. 

People  in  the  old  Knickerbocker  city 
were  kind  to  me.  The  story  of  my  vicis- 
situdes had  got  about  among  them  and 
they  maintained  that  I  had  shown  a  genu- 
ine article  of  courage  in  my  efforts  to  be 
an  actor.  They  had  never  forgotten  me, 
and  to  this  day  receive  me  in  the  kindest 
manner  and  look  upon  me  as  an  Albany 
boy.  At  the  end  of  my  first  season  I  real- 
ized that  I  had  only  reached  the  threshold 
of  a  most  difficult  achievement,  that  I  had 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         39 

done  little  more  than  overcome  an  extra- 
ordinary nervousness  and  that  even  the 
rudiments  of  my  art  had  not  yet  been 
acquired. 

But  I  was  hopeful  and  determined.  I 
had  paid  my  way,  thank  Heaven,  and  did 
not  owe  a  cent,  and  I  had  accomplished 
that  on  $5  a  week.  It  was  a  commend- 
able showing,  it  seemed  to  me,  but  now 
came  a  new  dilemma — how  was  I  to  get 
through  the  summer  ?  I  would  not  run 
in  debt,  and  so  when  the  inspiration  came 
at  last  that  I  could  easily  and  healthfully 
fill  in  the  time  on  a  farm,  on  the  Helder- 
bergs,  and  my  fancy  was  fed  with  the 
sugared  supposition  that  the  air  would  be 
glorious  and  that  the  abundance  of  eggs 
and  milk  would  make  me  so  strong  that 
work  would  be  a  pastime,  I  tried  it.     Re- 


40        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

suit  :  Air,  great ;  milk,  all  sent  to  town  ; 
work,  South  American  slavery.  But  I 
stuck  it  out  and  returned  to  Albany  and 
the  theater  lean  and  gaunt,  but  as  hard  as 
nails. 

III. 

My  farming  experience  occurred  during 
the  summer  of  1872.  Our  season  opened 
at  the  Division  street  theater  in  the  fall, 
and  my  salary  was  increased  to  $8  per 
week.  We  started  in  again  with  great  ex- 
pectations, but  we  were  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. Walter  Keeble's  health  was 
slowly  but  surely  breaking  down,  and 
by  Christmas  he  had  to  relinquish  his 
duties.  The  fatal  Bright's  disease  had  de- 
clared itself  and  he  was  ordered  south 
by  his  physicians.      We  all  readily  volun- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         41 

teered  for  his  benefit,  which  took  place  at 
Martin's  Hall  and  was  a  great  success. 
We  wished  him  Godspeed  with  sad  hearts, 
and  he  had  our  prayers  for  a  restoration 
to  health,  but  after  lingering  for  some 
time  he  died  in  Aiken,  South  Carolina. 

Mr.  John  Albaugh  had  become  lessee 
and  manager  of  the  Opera  House,  the 
leading  theater  in  Albany,  and  I  and  seve- 
ral other  members  of  Mr.  Keeble's  com- 
pany were  fortunate  in  securing  an  engage- 
ment with  him  at  the  same  salaries.  In 
this  theater  the  company  supported  in 
regular  rotation  all  the  first-class  stars, 
and  our  work  called  forth  keener  and 
more  detailed  newspaper  criticism  than 
had  been  elicited  by  our  efforts  in  the 
smaller  theater. 

The   constant   change   of    programme 


42         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

necessitated  a  frequent  change  of  ward- 
robe, and  we  poor  utility  men  were  often 
driven  to  our  wits'  end.  The  theater 
wardrobe  was  very  Hmited,  we  could  ill 
afford  to  hire  anything,  and  I  am  sure 
often  presented  in  Shakespearean  pieces 
the  most  ludicrous  appearance.  My  pos- 
sessions in  the  wardrobe  line  consisted  of 
a  dress  suit — the  old  original  one  already 
referred  to — a  pair  of  black  tights  and  one 
wig. 

That  wig  !  shall  I  ever  forget  it  ?  It 
was  of  the  Albino  shade  of  hair  and  was 
what  would  be  termed  a  straight  wig.  By 
an  ingenious  application  of  india-ink  I 
converted  it  into  a  black  wig  ;  or,  if  the 
occasion  called  for  blonde  locks,  a  liberal 
wash  of  yellow  ochre  produced  the  desired 
shade.     Then,  for   "reverend,  grave  and 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         4$ 

potent  seigniors,"  white  goat's  hair  stitched 
to  the  back  served  the  purpose.  These 
effects  were  produced  with  the  utmost 
care.  I  spent  hours  in  my  preparations 
and  I  never  could  understand  the  want 
of  appreciation  on  the  part  of  my  fellow 
actors.  Their  comments  seemed  strangely 
out  of  place  ;  their  jokes,  at  my  expense, 
quite  uncalled  for.  I  was  so  in  earnest, 
so  serious  in  the  responsibility  of  my  work, 
that  when  hysterics  were  in  order  it 
seemed  almost  inhuman  that  hilarity 
should  be  awakened  instead,  however  close 
to  the  wellspring  of  laughter  may  lie  the 
fountain  of  tears. 

Once,  when  we  were  supporting  E.  L. 
Davenport  in  a  round  of  his  masterly  por- 
trayals, I  was  cast  for  the  Doge  of  Venice. 
Mr.    Davenport   played    lago,    and   Mr. 


44        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

Albaugh  Othello.  I  wore  an  armhole 
cloak,  much  too  large  for  me — the  only 
thing  of  the  kind  to  be  found  in  the 
wardrobe — which  with  my  black  tights 
with  modern  slippers,  with  huge  home- 
made rosettes  and  the  wig  with  goat's  hair 
attachment,  were  the  foundation  of  my 
make-up.  I  had  covered  my  face  with 
what  I  thought  looked  the  ideal  of  a 
Venetian  beard.  On  my  head  I  carried  a 
papier-mache  crown,  several  sizes  too 
large  for  me  ;  in  my  hand  I  held  a  trun- 
cheon, and  I  was  seated  on  what  is  termed 
a  throne  chair,  on  a  raised  platform,  my 
short  legs  dangling  playfully  in  the  air. 
To  the  right  and  left  of  me  sat  the 
"approved  good  masters "  looking  quite 
as  fantastic  and  impossible  as  myself. 
After  the  preamble  I  granted  audience  to 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         45 

the  Moor  and  on  came  the  procession 
headed  by  Mr.  Davenport  and  Mr.  Al- 
baugh.  A  snort  from  lago  disconcerted 
me. 

"Good  God!  what  is  that?"  inquired 
lago,  sollo  voce. 

"That's  the  Doge  of  Venice,"  an- 
swered Othello. 

"  Gad  !  I  thought  it  was  the  Dog,"  said 
lago,  and  the  procession  exploded. 

I  had  spent  hours  over  the  part,  and 
had  worked  lovingly  upon  it.  Was  it  not 
the  great  master's  creation  ?  Covertly  I 
hoped  that  my  rendition  would,  in  a  way, 
vindicate  my  tragic  aspirations,  and  this 
was  the  result.  With  the  utmost  difficulty 
I  stammered  through  a  line  or  two,  and 
then,  abandoning  blank  verse,  assured 
Brabantio  that  he  would  find  his  son-in- 


46      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences, 

law  much  more  of  a  colored  gentleman 
than  a  white  man.  I  scurried  off,  fol- 
lowed by  my  wretched  retinue,  in  the 
most  undogelike  and  eccentric  manner. 
You  can  imagine  the  effect  upon  the  au- 
dience. Was  it  any  wonder  the  papers 
asserted  in  the  morning,  after  paying 
glowing  critical  tributes  to  the  principals, 
that  "  Felix  IMorris  and  the  rest  of  the 
rag  tag  and  bob-tail  were  simply  abomni- 
nable." 

I  record,  with  profound  pleasure  and 
fond  remembrance,  the  kindly  word  and 
generous  encouragement  of  Edwin 
Adams.  How  good  he  was  to  us  !  We 
utility  men  fairly  worshiped  him,  and 
what  a  voice  he  had — so  sweet  and  mel- 
low— and  what  a  Jack  Rover  (in  "Wild 
Oats  ")  we  thought  him.     I  played  Lamp, 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         47 

the  theatrical  manager,  in  that  produc- 
tion, and  made  a  little  hit  in  the  part. 
Even  the  Albany  papers,  whose  target  I 
had  been  so  long  that  I  rather  looked  for 
abuse  from  them,  spoke  well  of  me.  Em- 
boldened by  Mr.  Adams's  commendation 
I  opened  my  heart  to  him  and  told  him 
that  I  yet  hoped  to  become  a  tragedian. 
"  My  boy,"  said  he,  "  don't  bother  about 
Tragedy.  Stick  to  Comedy  and  you'll 
succeed.  After  all  it's  better  to  make 
people  laugh  than  cry." 

I  was  still  unconvinced,  in  spite  of  my 
regard  for  him.  Shortly  after  this  I  was 
cast  for  Cardinal  Pandulph,  Junius  Brutus 
Booth,  Mrs.  Agnes  Booth  and  Joseph 
Wheelock  being  the  stellar  attractions. 
The  part  was  given  to  me  by  mistake,  but 
I  was  allowed  to   keep  it,  and  Mrs.  Al- 


48      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

baugh  assisted  me  materially  in  the  cos- 
tuming. She  was  always  most  consider- 
ate and  kind  to  us  in  our  struggles.  She 
lent  me  the  cardinal's  robe  ;  some  cheap 
curtain  material  answered  the  purpose  of 
collar  and  cuffs,  while  a  little  red  flannel 
served  for  his  eminence's  skull  cap. 

I  had  a  vivid  recollection  of  Richelieu's 
picture  in  the  gallery  at  Versailles,  and 
even  with  my  remarkable  wig  was  able  to 
reproduce  him  fairly  well.  To  the  amaze- 
ment of  everybody,  my  effort  was  received 
with  the  utmost  attention  by  the  audience 
and  crowned  with  hearty  applause.  The 
newspapers  again  approved,  one  paper 
going  so  far  as  to  predict  a  gilt-edged 
future  for  me. 

I  was  enabled,  through  this  litde  suc- 
cess, to  bring  into  our  company  a  young 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         49 

friend  of  mine — a  refined,  educated,  de- 
lightful fellow.  He  served  in  the  capacity 
of  super,  and  being  familiar  with  my 
struggle  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  begin 
as  I  had  done  at  the  very  bottom  of  the 
ladder.  On  Friday  night  we  were  to  play 
"King  John."  He  attended  rehearsal  in 
the  morning,  and  everything  went  well, 
his  principal  duty  being  to  bring  the  king 
in  on  a  bier.  Four  men  carried  him  on. 
The  king  had  to  rise  from  the  bier,  and 
the  four  men,  still  holding  it,  had  to  catch 
him  as  he  fell  back  exhausted  after  his 
scene.  I  made  up  rapidly  and  hurried 
down  to  see  how  my  friend  looked.  He 
had  purchased  a  pair  of  very  white 
tights,  and  the  hauberk  he  wore  was 
painfully  short  and  exposed  an  extra- 
ordinary length  of  limb.     I  consoled  him. 


50        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

however,  and  said  the  general  effect  was 
all  right. 

In  due  time  the  King  was  brought  on; 
the  scene  was  enacted  and  back  he  fell 
with  a  thud  upon  the  stage,  my  friend 
having  let  go  of  the  bier.  Down  went  the 
King  to  the  floor  and  down  came  the  cur- 
tain. Up  rose  the  enraged  King,  and 
without  a  word  of  warning  he  grasped  my 
astonished  friend  by  the  throat  and  backed 
him  off  from  the  middle  of  the  stage  to 
the  wall  of  the  theater,  each  step  accom- 
panied by  the  strongest  comments.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  scene — my  friend's 
head  against  the  whitewashed  wall,  his 
tongue  protruding,  his  eyes  rolling,  and 
Mr.  Booth's  frantic  efforts  to  drive  him 
through  brick  and  mortar  into  the  adjoin- 
ing building.     When  finally  released,  my 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         5I 

ambitious  recruit  gathered  what  was  left 
of  himself  together,  rushed  to  the  super's 
room,  tore  oft'  his  hauberk,  seized  his 
unmentionables,  clapped  on  his  overcoat, 
and  fled  the  scene.  It  was  weeks  after 
that  before  he  would  even  speak  to  me. 
He  seemed  in  some  occult  manner  to  link 
me  with  his  mishap,  and  though  on  speak- 
ing terms  with  him,  our  intimacy  was 
never  fully  restored. 

Incidents  of  this  nature  were  of  fre- 
quent occurrence  in  those  days ;  and 
though  they  appear  humorous  in  descrip- 
tion, perhaps,  they  were  the  cause  of 
much  anxiety  and  worry  to  me  at  the 
time.  In  everything  I  attempted  I  was 
my  own  severest  critic,  and  am  to  this 
day.  Very  seldom  indeed,  in  spite  of 
long  experience,  do  I  feel  absolutely  satis- 


52         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

fied  with  my  most  successful  efforts.  My 
own  shortcomings  were  ever  before  me 
and  I  was  discouraged  at  the  slowness  of 
my  progress.  An  unusual,  abnormal  ner- 
vousness, which  I  have  never  thoroughly 
conquered,  was  at  this  period  of  my  career 
my  chief  obstacle.  Artistic  instincts,  origi- 
nal conception,  and  unusual  perseverance 
I  had,  but  much  that  I  did  was  marred 
and  blurred  by  my  arch-enemy,  nervous- 
ness— by  my  want  of  confidence  or 
"  cheek,"  as  we  are  wont  to  term  it  now. 

This  hard-earned  experience  was,  how- 
ever, invaluable  to  me,  and  although  it 
was  unpleasant  enough  to  have  four  and 
sometimes  five  small  parts  to  play  in  one 
evening — such  parts  as  an  Irishman,  an 
Indian,  a  policeman  and  a  nigger,  and  the 
following  week  have  to  appear  as  Horatio, 


FELIX    MOKKISS    REMINISCENCES.         53 

Glavis,  the  Apothecary  and  such  ilk — I 
was  imperceptibly  absorbing  and  ac- 
quiring that  knowledge  which,  it  seems 
to  me,  is  essential  to  permanent  success  in 
our  difficult  art. 

I  must  devote  a  word  or  two  to  the 
prominence  given  my  dress  suit  in  these 
early  struggles.  It  was  a  valuable  pos- 
session in  those  days,  and  very  few  utility 
men  owned  such  a  thing.  It  was  common 
property  among  us,  of  course.  We  shared 
alike  in  everything.  One  of  my  fellow 
sufferers  was  a  very  tall  man,  the  other, 
poor  little  "Reddy,"a  remarkably  short 
one.  The  tall  man  was  middle  aged, 
with  a  painful  defect  in  one  eye.  He  was 
a  man  of  sorrows  and  he  was  acquainted 
with  grief,  for  he  had  a  large  family  and 
a  small  salary.     Naturally,  he  was  driven 


54         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

to  Strange  expedients  in  his  eflforts  to  dress. 
We  looked  up  to  him,  for  his  age  com- 
manded our  respect  and  his  fertihty  of  re- 
source astonished  all  of  us.  Among  other 
miracles  that  he  could  work  was  that  of 
converting  a  sheet  of  plain  foolscap  into 
a  shirt  bosom.  Clean  collars  and  immacu- 
late cuffs  he  readily  produced  from  ordi- 
nary note  paper. 

On  one  occasion  I  remember  we  were 
supporting  Yankee  Locke,  a  celebrated 
character  comedian.  I  represented  in  my 
dress  suit,  embellished  with  the  Order  of 
the  Bath,  Star  of  India,  etc.,  the  Governor 
of  Australia,  as  the  character  presented  it- 
self to  my  mind.  I  had  granted  an  inter- 
view in  the  front  scene  to  the  ingenious 
American,  Yankee  Locke,  whose  object 
it  was  to  introduce  some  patent  or  another 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.  5^ 

into  Australia.  At  the  first  entrance  stood 
the  tall  man  in  very  soiled  shirt-sleeves, 
but  with  spotless  paper  bosom,  collars  and 
cuffs.  As  soon  as  I  came  off  I  wriggled 
out  of  my  dress  coat,  which  the  tall  man 
immediately  put  on,  and  before  the  flats 
were  withdrawn  he  took  his  place  in  the 
halls  of  dazzling  light,  and  with  a  jaunty 
air  and  a  stage  swagger  he  sailed  gallantly 
up  and  down  the  back  of  the  scene,  a  fair 
ballet  lady  on  his  arm. 

Together  they  represented  the  nobility 
and  fashion  of  the  day.  Keeping  well  up 
stage  the  shortness  of  sleeve  and  the  glar- 
ing misfit  of  the  body  of  the  garment  were 
not  perceptible  to  a  confiding  public.  In 
the  next  act  the  small  man,  who  had  at- 
tached to  the  same  coat  a  red  flannel  col- 
lar and  twisted  some  Dutch  metal  around 


56         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

the  buttons,  appeared  to  great  advantage 
as  a  liveried  footman  ;  and  thus  we  turned 
and  toiled  and  contrived  in  our  efforts  to 
obey  the  master's  injunction  to  hold  the 
mirror  up  to  Nature. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  a  ray  of  sunlight 
came  from  an  unexpected  quarter  into  my 
hopeful,  if  not  always  successful,  life. 
Joseph  Jefferson  occupied  a  box  in  our 
theater  at  the  performance  given  by  Mr. 
Locke,  and  he  was  kind  enough  to  inquire 
who  the  little  man  was  who  played  the  part 
of  the  Governor  of  Australia.  When 
told  who  I  was,  and  not  recognizing 
in  my  name  one  that  he  had  heard  before, 
he  sent  me  word  that  he  was  pleased  with 
my  work,  and  added  :  "Tell  him  to  per- 
severe and  he  is  certain  to  be  heard  of 
hereafter."      It    is    a    very   long    list    of 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         57 

kind  remarks  such  as  that  which,  al- 
most as  much  as  the  infinite  number  of 
generous  and  helpful  acts  which  have 
characterized  the  lovely  and  lovable  life  of 
this  great  actor,  will  cause  him  to  be 
remembered  by  those  who  have  felt  the 
need  of  his  encouragement  and  assist- 
ance longer,  perhaps,  than  even  his  mas- 
terly impersonation  will  keep  his  memory 
green  in  the  hearts  of  an  affectionate  and 
adoring  public. 

IV. 

Mr.  John  Albaugh  re-engaged  me  for 
the  following  season  at  $12  per  week,  an 
episode  which  I  construed  as  an  evidence 
of  my  increasing  value.  The  $8  per  week 
that  I  had  been  working  for  did  not  leave 
much  surplus  for  summer,  though  I  had 


58         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

made  sundry  small  additions  to  my  ward- 
robe out  of  my  modest  income.  It  was, 
therefore,  with  enthusiasm  that  I  accepted 
the  offer  of  a  Mr.  Cotton  to  join  his  com- 
pany and  play  a  summer  season  through 
the  small  towns  of  Vermont,  Massachu- 
setts and  New  York  States. 

The  salary  offered  me  was  nominal,  but 
the  inducements  in  the  line  of  parts  were 
sufficient  for  my  vaulting  ambition.  I  was 
to  play  Julio  Dormilly  in  ' '  Six  Degrees  of 
Crime,"  a  leading  part ;  Aminadab  Sleek 
in  the  "Serious  Family";  Meller Moss  in 
the  "  Ticket-of- Leave  Man,"  and  a  long 
list  of  farce  parts  of  equal  prominence. 
We  carried  our  own  orchestra,  consisting 
of  four  pieces.  The  services  of  the  mu- 
sicians were  required  on  the  stage  as  well 
as  in  the  orchestra.      A  song:  and  dance 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  59 

man  worked  the  snare  drum,  and  I  figured 
in  the  capacity  of  bass  drummer,  I  ob- 
jected very  much  to  this  new  departure, 
but  as  I  read  music  it  was  decided  the 
success  of  the  undertaking  depended  on 
my  acceptance  of  this  trust. 

On  our  arrival  in  any  little  town  the  or- 
chestra had  to  assemble  at  the  hall,  and 
thence  sally  forth  and  advertise  our  enter- 
prise by  a  public-out-door  demonstration. 
Our  street  parade  was  a  feature,  and,  con- 
sidering our  numbers,  we  succeeded  in 
making  more  noise  than  any  organization 
of  the  kind  it  has  ever  been  my  misfortune 
to  listen  to  before  or  since.  Another 
addition  to  my  numerous  duties  immedi- 
ately suggested  itself  to  our  thrifty  mana- 
ger. To  save  printing,  it  was  decided  that 
the  one  bill-stand,  to  be  found  in  all  small 


6o      FELIX  morris's  reminiscenxes.  . 

towns,  should  be  covered  with  sheets  of 
white  paper  and  ornamented  by  me.  So, 
armed  with  brush  and  lampblack,  and 
perched  on  a  ladder,  I  printed  in  bold 
characters  our  programme  for  the  length 
of  time  we  were  to  remain  in  the  place. 
When  I  think  of  the  amount  of  work  that 
was  exacted  of  me,  and  the  guileless  man- 
ner in  which  I  undertook  everything,  I 
marvel,  now,  at  my  absolute  simplicity. 
At  the  time  I  fairly  revelled  in  my  work. 
Youthful  enthusiasm  is  often  deaf  and 
blind  ! 

We  did  remarkably  well,  at  first.  It 
was  the  early  summer,  when  blue  birds 
mate  and  robins  love ;  when  streamlets 
babble  and  Nature  dons  her  wedding 
robes;  when  the  soft  south  wind  woos  the 
timid  leaf  and  sighs  her  amorous  strains, 


FELIX    MORUIS'S    REMINISCENCES.        6 1 

Man — impressionable  man — follows  Na- 
ture's lead,  and  our  company  was  seized 
with  a  matrimonial  epidemic.  Pretty 
Gertie  Granville  was  one  of  our  earliest 
victims,  and  then  the  manager,  receiving 
an  arrow  from  Cupid's  fatal  bow,  yielded 
to  the  force  of  circumstances,  and  again 
the  air  was  laden  with  the  silvery  song  of 
joyous  wedding  bells.  Honeymoon  junk- 
eting became  the  order  of  the  day,  and  in 
the  meantime,  those  of  the  company  who 
were  merely  spectators  at  the  gladsome 
court  of  Hymen  remained  iti  statu  quo. 

No  performances  were  given,  and  the 
lovely  days  were  spent  on  the  green  hill- 
sides. We  surrendered  ourselves  to  the 
delights  of  trout  fishing,  while  baseball, 
swimming  and  every  form  of  recreation 
constituted  our   general   occupation.     It 


62        FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

was  delighful,  to  be  sure,  to  thus  drift 
along,  but  our  hotel  bill  was  gradually 
and  surely  mounting  up,  and  when  the 
revels  were  over  and  we  again  addressed 
ourselves  to  prosaic  labor,  we  found  our- 
selves embarrassed  by  a  ten  days'  hotel  bill 
and  the  enforced  companionship  of  the 
landlord  in  our  travels  to  our  next  halting 
place.  His  devotion  to  us  was  steadfast, 
and  he  remained  with  us  until  his  claim 
was  settled.  Thus  were  we  passed  along 
from  one  hotel  proprietor  to  another,  for 
the  fates  were  not  propitious,  our  business 
gradually  becoming  worse  and  worse. 
Matters  finally  reached  a  climax  at  Glens 
Falls,  where  our  baggage  was  seized,  and 
we  had  to  shift  for  ourselves  and  do  the 
best  we  could.  I  saved  my  dress  suit  by 
wearing  it  under  my  ordinary  attire,  but 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         6^ 

my  phenomenal  wig,  the  serviceable  black 
tights  and  much  that  was  useful  to  me  I 
was  compelled  to  leave  behind.  It  was 
somewhat  of  a  blow,  but  I  had  survived 
so  much  already  that  I  took  heart  and 
straggled  back  to  Albany  and  began  my 
third  season's  engagement  there. 

This  proved  quite  an  important  season 
for  me.  Advancement  was  rapid  and  I  re- 
alized at  last  that  the  line  of  business  in 
which  I  might  eventually  succeed  was  not 
tragedy. 

It  is  a  great  victory,  when  one  is  pur- 
suing the  wrong  course,  to  have  his  bad 
half  hour  over  with  and  to  set  out  on  the 
right  road,  even  though  it  may  cost  him 
many  a  pang  to  bid  a  final  adieu  to  hopes 
long  cherished  but  never  to  be  fulfilled, 
and  awaken  in  his  breast  a  certain  reluc- 


64         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

tance  to  making  friends  with  a  new  series 
of  conditions  which  were  not  included  in 
his  primary  survey  of  the  great  field  of 
artistic  endeavor. 

My  character  studies  were  invariably 
recognized  and  encouraged  by  the  press, 
while  it  was  obvious  that  my  dramatic 
value  steadily  increased.  Mr.  Alfred 
Becks,  well  known  in  theatrical  circles, 
was  at  that  time  manager  for  Lotta,  and  he 
selected  me  to  play  a  character  part  in 
"  Musette,"  then  a  new  production.  His 
kindly  advice  was  of  infinite  value  to  me, 
and  on  the  first  night  the  piece  was  done 
I  was  surprised  at  the  impression  my  eftbrts 
seemed  to  make  on  the  audience. 

At  the  end  of  one  scene,  which  went 
remarkably  well,  I  wandered  down  to  my 
dressing-room  in   the   regions   below.     I 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         65 

could  hear  the  continued  applause,  and 
was  startled  beyond  description  by  cries 
of  "  Fe-e-1-ix  !  Felix!"  I  rushed  to  the 
stairway  fearing  that  something  had  gone 
wrong,  and  was  told  to  come  up  at  once. 
I  did  so  and  found  the  kindly  little  lady 
waiting  on  the  stage.  When  she  caught 
sight  of  me  she  came  to  the  wings  and 
gently  led  me — astonished  and  puzzled — 
before  the  audience.  Under  the  auspices, 
therefore,  of  this  charming  woman,  I  re- 
ceived my  first  call  before  the  curtain.  So 
pleased  was  she  with  my  success  that  she 
caused  an  offer  to  be  made  for  my  services, 
but  my  manager  did  not  wish  to  release 
me  and  I  had  to  remain  where  I  was. 

We  supported  John  T.  Raymond  in  his 
inimitable  Col.  Sellers,  and  what  a  per- 
formance it  was  !     What   an    astounding 


66      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

example  Raymond  was  of  fortune's  vagar- 
ies. Nobody  ever  had  a  harder  struggle 
than  he.  Suddenly,  however,  the  clouds 
were  lifted,  and  popularity  and  money 
fairly  rained  upon  him.  Lucille  Western 
was  an  extraordinary  clever  emotional  act- 
ress. I  shall  never  forget  her  performance 
in  ' '  The  Childstealer  "  and  ' '  East  Lynne. " 
Her  pathos  was  astonishing.  I  had  also, 
during  my  Albany  experience,  encountered 
another  remarkable  actress  named  Char- 
lotte Crampton,  a  little  bit  of  a  woman 
who  played  Richard  III  in  a  wondeiful 
manner.  Her  fight  in  the  last  act  im- 
pressed me  wonderfully,  as  it  did  Rich- 
mond too,  for  it  took  him  all  his  time  to 
parry  and  guard  her  onslaught.  Jane 
Coombs  was  then  an  attraction,  and  Mrs. 
D.  P.  Bowers  was  a  very  great  favorite.    E, 


FKLIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         67 

L.  Davenport  was  masterly  in  "Hamlet" 
and  tremendous  as  Sir  Giles  Overreach. 
Edwin  Adams — most  popular  in  "Enoch 
Arden  "  —  was  delightful,  while  Frank 
Chanfrau,  in  "Kit,"  was  also  inimitable. 
A  wonderful  comedian  I  thought  him. 

And  so  on  through  a  long  line  of  vary- 
ing attractions  we  played,  doing  everything 
in  the  way  of  support,  from  burlesque,  with 
pretty  Eliza  Wethersby,  to  stirring  melo- 
drama. Even  ' '  Mazeppa  "  held  the  boards 
for  a  week  each  season,  and  in  that,  as  in 
everything  else,  we  contributed  our  share 
to  the  performance  as  a  whole.  I  do  not 
pretend  to  say  our  performances  were  ex- 
cellent. We  were  simply  an  ordinary 
stock  company,  with  requirements  which 
were  all  too  varied  for  a  perfect  result. 
Again,  our  preparations  were  too  hasty  to 


6S         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

admit  of  much  good  work.  But  the 
amount  of  rough  experience  gained  was 
invaluable. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  season  I  re- 
ceived an  offer,  through  Mr.  Alfred  Becks, 
to  play  in  the  original  production  of  the 
"  Shaughraun  "  in  Canada.  This  offer  I 
accepted  after  much  consultation  with  my 
friends  in  Albany,  who  thought  the  oppor- 
tunity a  good  one  and  a  decided  step  in 
advance,  as  I  was  to  occupy  the  position 
of  comedian  in  my  coming  engagement. 
I  took  leave  of  my  comrades  and  left  the 
the  old  city  with  much  regret,  for  it  had 
been  the  scene  of  my  many  struggles  and 
of  the  few  triumphs  that  had  rewarded  my 
persistent  endeavors.  We  opened  in  Ottawa, 
and  the  production  was  very  successful. 
Mr.  Becks  was  with  us  as  Mr.  Dion  Bou- 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES,         69 

cicault's  representative.  He  had  to  collect 
royalties  and  watch  Mr.  Boucicauh's  in- 
terests. 

From  Ottawa  we  visited  the  smaller 
towns  of  Western  Canada,  and,  of  course, 
did  badly.  Salaries  were  in  arrears,  and 
royalties  too,  and  this  led  to  constant 
friction  between  the  manager  and  Mr. 
Becks.  We  worked  along,  however,  the 
railroad  frequently  advancing  tickets  on 
our  baggage  in  order  to  facilitate  our 
migrations.  It  was  sometimes  inconven- 
ient, to  be  sure,  to  be  subjected  to  these 
temporary  divorces  from  our  impediments, 
but  we  were  a  jolly  crew  and  didn't  mind 
it  much. 

We  had  one  or  two  thirsty  souls  with 
us,  and  these  gentlemen  were  often  driven 
to   strange    expedients    to    raise   a    little 


70        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCE^. 

money.  Coming  upon  a  little  crowd  of 
people  on  Dominion  Day  on  the  parade 
ground  in  Chatham,  I  noticed  that  they 
were  intently  watching  something  that  was 
going  on.  To  my  amazement,  as  I  drew 
near,  I  recognized  two  members  of  our 
company ;  one,  quite  a  clever  conjurer, 
was  giving  proofs  of  his  skill,  while  the 
other  gentleman  was  dilating  upon  his  dex- 
terity and  entertaining  the  crowd  in  the 
most  pleasant  and  familiar  manner.  The 
performance  ended  with  the  incident  of  a 
hat  being  passed  around.  A  neat  little 
collection  was  taken  up,  and  I  dare  say 
the  burning  thirst  of  the  performers  in  this 
impromptu  entertainment  was  subsequent- 
ly allayed. 

We  eventually  reached  Quebec,  where 
we  intended  to  fill  in  a  final  week.     But 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         7  I 

fortune  smiled,  business  opened  well  and 
continued  so  for  six  weeks,  the  company 
in  the  mean  time  having  taken  affairs  in 
their  own  hands.  We  were  enabled  to 
pay  off  Mr.  Boucicault's  claims,  discard 
the  "  Shaughraun"  and  appear  in  a  reper- 
toire of  our  own.  This  change  of  plan 
met  with  such  welcome  success  that  finally 
our  financial  difficulties  were  straightened 
out  and  the  summer  season  came  to  a 
satisfactory  and  propitious  end. 

V. 

Our  manager  had,  in  the  meantime,  and 
in  spite  of  financial  troubles,  secured  the 
lease  of  the  then  new  theater  in  Montreal, 
the  Academy  of  Music,  a  remarkably  fine 
building  erected  by  a  company  of  wealthy 
Montrealers,  with  Sir  Hugh  Allen  at  the 


72         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  . 

head  of  aflairs.  How  this  transaction  was 
brought  about  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know. 
Perhaps  the  impression  made  by  the  sum- 
mer company,whose  varying  fortunes  I  have 
already  described  in  brief,  had  something 
to  do  with  it.  At  any  rate,  I  was  engaged 
for  the  opening  season  at  Montreal. 

Upon  the  dissolution  of  the  summer 
company  I  went  from  Quebec  to  New 
York,  as  I  had  some  weeks  to  tide  over 
before  my  season  began.  Diflficulties  again 
stared  me  in  the  face,  for  I  had  very  little 
money  on  hand ;  but  just  as  affairs  were 
beginning  to  look  serious  a  telegram  from 
St.  Johns,  New  Brunswick,  summoned  me 
there.  My  railroad  ticket  came  the  next 
day,  and  off  I  started  with  less  than 
seventy-five  cents  in  my  pocket.  Arrived 
at  Bangor,  Maine,  I  discovered  to  my  dis- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENXES.  'J 'i 

may  that  the  train  stopped  there  for  the 
night,  and  here  I  was  with  eighteen  cents 
in  hand.  I  consoled  myself  with  the  idea 
that  I  could  remain  in  the  wailing  room 
of  the  railway  station  all  night.  In  this 
laudable  design  I  was  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment as  an  official,  after  a  short  de- 
lay, began  locking  doors  and  applying 
bolts.  On  questioning  him  he  informed 
me  that  the  train  started  at  8.30  in  the 
morning  and  that  he  was  closing  for  the 
night. 

As  I  turned  away  from  the  little  depot 
the  cold,  white  fog  came  rolling  up  the 
street,  adding  materially  to  the  discomfort 
of  my  situation  and  emphasizing  the  futil- 
ity of  summer  attire  as  an  adequate 
protection  against  the  chilly  and  nipping 
air  of  Maine.    I  strolled  about  a  little,  then 


74        FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

solaced  myself  with  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a 
doughnut,  and,  thus  fortified,  passed  the 
long,  cold  night,  occasionally  varying  the 
monotony  by  short  cat-naps  on  the  wooden 
steps  of  the  little  station,  my  actions,  mean- 
time, being  suspiciously  watched  by  an 
Irish  guardian  of  the  peace,  who  would  not 
be  satisfied  with  the  explanations  I  vouch- 
safed him,  and  who  eagerly  awaited  the 
development  of  some  burglarious  scheme, 
with  which  I  felt  certain  he  associated  me. 
The  longest  night  has  its  ending,  and 
morning  came  at  last.  I  was  very  weary, 
however,  as  I  boarded  my  train  and 
started  for  St.  Johns,  which  I  reached  at 
about  7.30  that  night,  just  in  time  to  rush 
to  the  theater  in  season  to  step  upon  the 
stage  a  little  after  eight  o'clock,  as  Father 
Doolan  in   the    "  Shaughraun. "     Happily 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  7$ 

for  the  audience,  with  the  exception  of  a 
slight  weakness  of  voice,  nothing  in- 
dicated the  ordeal  I  had  gone  through 
the  preceding  night.  I  mention  this  in- 
cident as  another  proof  of  my  lack  of 
assurance,  my  utter  want  of  that  knowl- 
edge which  enables  men  to  get  on  in  the 
world.  It  never  occurred  to  me  to  make 
my  case  known  to  a  hotel  proprietor  who 
could  readily  have  verified  my  statement 
by  telegram,  and  thus  saved  me  a  most 
unpleasant  experience.  It  is  recollections 
such  as  these  that  convince  me  that  nature 
dealt  with  me  in  a  most  niggardly  man- 
ner in  respect  of  foresight.  The  man  of 
whom  it  was  said  that  he  had  his  head  in 
the  clouds  and  his  feet  in  the  mud  surely 
had  a  counterpart  in  me  in  those  early 
days  of  my  dramatic  career. 


76         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

Finally,  the  opening  night  of  the  new 
theater  in  Montreal  came,  and  with  it 
a  packed  house  and  splendid  audience. 
"Rosedale"  was  the  attraction,  and  the 
verdict  was  unanimous — a  great  "go." 
Everybody  was  delighted,  and  we  pro- 
duced in  rapid  succession  all  the  Fifth 
Avenue  successes — ''Divorce,"  "Pique," 
"A  Big  Bonanza,"  "Saratoga,"  and 
"Under  the  Gaslight."  Also  the  Union 
Square  pieces — "The  Two  Orphans," 
"The  Geneva  Cross,"  and  "Rose  Michel." 
I  had  a  most  gratifying  line  of  pans, 
and  I  revelled  in  them  to  my  heart's  de- 
light. My  popularity  was  quickly  at  the 
full,  our  receipts  were  very  large,  and  the 
harvest  never-ending.  And  yet  I  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  in  getting  my  salary. 
Our  business  manager  was  a  most  evasive 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMIXISCEXCES.  77 

person.  He  had  a  knack  of  vanishing 
behind  doors  and  of  disappearing  around 
corners,  and  as  for  excuses,  he  was  a  per- 
fect master  in  the  art  of  making  them. 
I  never  met  his  like,  and  I  hope  I  never 
shall  again.  My  salary  was  very  small 
considering  the  position  I  held  and  the 
popularity  I  enjoyed. 

I  was  urged  by  my  fellow  actors,  Fred- 
eric Bryton  among  the  number,  to  insist 
upon  an  increase.  This  I  hesitated  to  do, 
for  I  was  happy  in  the  enjoyment  of  my 
extraordinary  popularity  and  in  the 
knowledge  that  my  name  was  a  house- 
hold word.  As  an  indication  of  the 
ascendency  in  which  I  found  my  star,  I 
may  pardonably  mention,  I  think,  that 
once  when,  as  a  result  of  a  severe  cold,  I 
had  lost  my  voice  and  was  confined  to  my 


78         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

room  for  ten  days,  the  most  renowned 
specialist  in  Montreal,  Dr.  Major,  at- 
tended me,  and  would  not  hear  of  com- 
pensation. My  room  was  a  bower  of 
flowers  sent  by  friends  and  anonymous 
adm.irers.  Dozens  of  jars  of  jellies  and 
home-made  remedies  attested  the  kind- 
ness of  the  public,  and  when  I  appeared 
again  a  perfect  ovation  awaited  me.  Few 
actors,  whatever  their  position,  have  been 
so  generously  treated  as  I  was  in  Montreal, 
and  I  look  back  with  natural  pride  upon 
these  events  and  cherish  their  memory 
with  fondest  recollections. 

Numberless  considerations  influenced 
me  in  my  hesitation  about  asking  for  ade- 
quate compensation,  but  at  last  I  sum- 
moned up  courage  and  approached  my 
manager.     An  opportunity  to  attack  him 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  79 

ofTered  at  his  hotel,  and  I  lured  him  into 
the  smoking-room,  which  happened  to 
be  vacant.  He  was  unsuspicious  of  my 
motive  and  slapped  me  on  the  back  and 
in  pleasant  tones  assured  me  of  his 
esteem,  I  hemmed  and  hawed  a  little, 
and  then  ejaculated  the  words,  "  Increase 
of  salary. "  With  a  broken,  dejected  look 
and  a  smothered  groan  he  sank  into  a 
chair  like  a  man  stricken  with  disease, 
and  actually  wept. 

"My  God,"  said  he,  between  sobs, 
"after  all  my  kindness,  after  all  I've  done 
for  you.  Why,  Felix,  I've  made  you,  and 
this  is  your  gratitude  !  " 

I  never  felt  so  guilty  in  all  my  life,  and 
vainly  tried  to  comfort  him.  The  scene 
ended  in  my  being  almost  as  much  affected 
as  he  was,  and  away  I  went,  loathing  my- 


8o        FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

self  for  having  caused  his  gentle  heart 
such  pain.  On  comparing  notes  with 
my  fellow  actors  I  found  my  account  of 
the  interview  was  received  with  the  utmost 
levity,  not  to  say  hilarity,  and  that  the 
whole  scene  was  simply  a  chestnut.  Tears, 
sobs,  groans  and  pocket  handkerchief  had 
frequently  been  used  before  as  a  means  of 
escaping  the  payment  of  a  well-earned 
increase  of  salary.  The  magic  touch  of 
Midias  was  no  more  certain  of  a  golden 
product  than  any  talk  of  more  money 
was  to  bring  about  a  lachrymose  condi- 
tion of  affairs  with  this  fair-dealing  gentle- 
man. 

An  offer  from  Mr.  McVickar,  of  Chi- 
cago, happened  along  very  opportunely, 
however,  and  the  difficulty  was  removed. 
I  obtained  a  small  increase  of  salary  when 


FELIX    MORRIS  S   REMINISCENCES.         01 

it  was  found  I  was  wanted  elsewhere. 
We  supported,  during  the  course  of  the 
season,  George  Fawcett  Rowe,  in  his  un- 
rivaled performance  of  Micaivher,  and 
the  incomparable  Adelaide  Neilson.  We 
had  been  waiting  about  at  the  theater  for 
hours,  one  day,  expecting  her  arrival. 
Trains  were  delayed,  and  it  was  three 
o'clock  before  she  put  in  an  appearance. 
At  that  hour  she  bustled  on  to  the  stage 
in  traveling  ulster  and  soft-crowned  hat. 
She  was  very  tired,  and  evidently  out  of 
sorts.  She  was  accompanied  by  Eben 
Plympton  for  leading  support. 

"And  this  is  the  great  Neilson,"  I  told 
myself.  The  reverie  into  which  I  disap- 
pointedly had  fallen  was  disturbed  by  the 
sound  of  a  gruff  voice  accompanied  by  an 
angry  push. 


82         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

"Clear  the  stage,  you  supers,"  said  the 
voice. 

"One  moment,"  I  explained.  "I'm 
the  super  who  plays  Touchstone." 

Plympton  understood  his  mistake,  and 
made  amends  by  introducing  me  to  Miss 
Neilson.  At  night  what  a  transformation 
we  witnessed  in  this  remarkable  woman  ! 
As  she  sailed  oh  she  was  nothing  short  of 
a  vision,  and  her  performance  of  Rosa- 
lind was  a  revelation.  She  was  very  gra- 
cious to  me ;  sent  for  me  to  come  to  her 
dressing-room  and  complimented  me  in 
the  most  flattering  terms  on  my  Touch- 
stone. 

The  success  of  myShakesperian  comedy 
characters  I  attribute  very  largely  to  the 
kindly  interest  of  my  old  friend,  Mr.  T. 
D.   King,   of  Montreal.     He  was  an  en- 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCEN'CES.  83 

thusiast,  and  had  accumulated  a  valuable 
Shakespearean  library.  Together  we  made 
researches,  compared  notes,  verified  cer- 
tain readings,  and  the  results  were  un- 
usually satisfactory.  When  Mr.  King 
died,  his  valuable  collection  became  the 
prope/ty  of  McGill  College. 

As  the  season  drew  to  a  close,  my 
name  was  put  up  for  a  benefit.  I  was 
the  recipient  of  a  handsome  testimonial 
from  the  company  in  the  form  of  Knight's 
Edition  of  Shakespeare,  and  an  overflow- 
ing house  greeted  my  appearance.  I 
played  Boh  Sackeit  in  Bronson  Howard's 
"Saratoga."  A  tremendous  call  brought 
me  before  the  curtain,  and  after  a  shower 
of  bouquets  I  was  allowed  to  return 
thanks,  which  I  did  in  a  few  carefully 
prepared  remarks.     I  was  somewhat  dis- 


84      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

appointed,  however,  at  the  reception  of 
my  words.  They  caused  much  merri- 
ment, and  I  had  intended  merely  to  ac- 
knowledge, in  elegant  and  well-rounded 
phrase,  my  obligations  and  gratitude. 
The  fact  was  that  half  my  moustache  had 
disappeared  in  the  excitement  of  the 
occasion,  and  when  I  discovered  my  loss 
I  was  compelled  to  join  in  the  laughter 
my  appearance  provoked,  and  thus  the 
performance  ended. 

The  evasive  person  already  mentioned 
settled  up  with  me  the  next  day,  and 
to  my  astonishment  proved  by  abstruse 
and  marvelous  calculation  that  I  was  a 
creditor  to  the  amount  of  something  less 
than  $30.  ]\Iy  share  of  the  benefit  was 
supposed  to  be  one-third.  The  receipts 
could  not  have  been    less  than    $1,200. 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.  85 

But  the  blandness  and  humility  of  this 
mathematical  conjuror  were  allowed  to 
prevail.  He  produced  numerous  little 
slips  of  paper  which  were  simply  con- 
fusing, as  in  our  irregular  methods  I 
never  kept  an  account  of  anything,  and 
although  my  credulity  was  severly  taxed 
I  accepted  his  figures.  He  was  generous 
enough  to  declare  that  I  had  a  great  future 
before  me,  and  with  a  warm  shake  of  the 
hand  and  a  most  angelic  smile,  he 
quietly  vanished  from  my  view. 

VI. 

The  flood  tide  of  prosperity  began  to 
ebb.  Our  manager  had  launched  out 
into  all  sorts  of  enterprises.  Interest  in 
the  new  theater  flagged  ;  receipts  fell  off, 
expenses  increased,  and  the  inevitable  col- 


86      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

lapse  followed.  Injudicious  friends  urged 
Mr.  Neil  Warner  and  myself  to  assume  the 
management  of  the  Academy  of  Music  ; 
we  did  so,  and  struggled  frantically  to  make 
a  success  of  our  enterprise.  As  long  as 
we  adhered  to  the  combination  system 
we  were  successful.  We  played  George 
Rignold  in  "Henry  V,"  and  a  very  fine 
production  it  was;  "Evangeline,"  with 
Nat  Goodwin  as  notary.  Pretty  Eliza 
Wethersby,  Harry  Dixey  and  Richard 
Golden  were  also  in  the  cast.  Joe  Murphy 
came  to  us  in  "Kerry  Gow  ;  "  my  old 
Albany  manager,  John  Albaugh,  and  com- 
pany added  their  excellence,  and  we  did 
remarkably  well.  But  when  our  stock 
company  assembled  the  trouble  began.  It 
certainly  was  no  fault  of  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  comprising  the  company. 


FELIX    morris's    reminiscences.         ^'J 

We  had  been  most  careful  in  our  selec- 
tion. Gertrude  Kellogg  was  our  leading 
lady,  George  Riddle  our  juvenile  man, 
Mrs.  Jordan,  an  excellent  actress,  our  old 
lady.  I  played  comedy  and  eccentrics, 
Neil  Warner  leads,  and  so  on.  Our  ex- 
penses were  altogether  too  heavy,  our 
financial  backers  became  weary,  and  we 
had  to  wind  up  affairs  as  best  as  we  could. 
Our  company  was  most  considerate.  A 
benefit  gotten  up  in  my  name  proved  a 
great  success.  We  turned  the  receipts 
over  to  the  company,  and  were  enabled 
to  pay  off  most  of  our  indebtedness  in  this 
way.  The  failure  was  really  a  great  blow 
to  me,  at  the  time.  I  had  hoped  so  much 
and  it  seemed  such  an  opportunity  for  so 
young  a  man.  The  crash  staggered  me, 
and  I  returned  to  New    York   broken  in 


bo         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

spirit  and  poorer  in  pocket  than  when  I 
first  landed  in  the  New  World. 

The  proverbial  "silver  lining,"  how- 
ever, appeared  in  the  form  of  an  engage- 
ment under  Mr.  Stephen  Fiske's  manage- 
ment at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theater.  He 
had  succeeded  Mr.  Daly.  I  was  in  the 
cast  that  supported  Mary  Anderson  in  her 
first  New  York  engagement.  She  was  at 
that  time  a  big,  beautiful  girl  and  as  play- 
ful as  a  kitten.  Totally  wanting  in  an 
idea  of  the  responsibility  of  her  work,  she 
often  surprised  us  with  flashes  of  rare 
talent,  while  her  melodious  Southern  voice 
reminded  us  of  Mr.  Richard  Grant  White's 
definition  of  another  woman's  voice  which, 
with  bold  originality,  he  classified  as 
"  vocal  velvet. "  Then  came  INIodjeska's 
first  appearance  and  unqualified  success, 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.         89 

followed  by  several  stock  productions. 
Among  these  was  Mary  Fiske's  play  en- 
titled "  Dioulmough."  We  were  not  suc- 
cessful, however,  and  our  season  ended 
unsatisfactorily. 

It  was  during  this  engagement  that  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  a  comedian, 
whose  modesty  was  as  remarkable  as  his 
talent,  and  whose  pleasant,  unaffected 
manner  impressed  me  very  much.  I  re- 
fer to  James  Lewis.  Aunt  Louisa  Eld- 
ridge  was  also  a  member  of  the  company. 
Her  vivacity  and  good  humor  were  al- 
ways contagious  and  helped  to  lighten 
the  burden  of  the  hour.  Now  came  an 
opportunity  which  might  have  led  to  for- 
tune, but  want  of  confidence  on  my  part 
again  stood  in  my  way  and  I  did  not  ac- 
cept the   offer.     A    manager   wanted    to 


90        FELIX   MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

take  me  out  West  and  star  me  in  the  part 
o^De  Boots  in  "The  Widow  Hunt."  He 
was  what  is  termed  a  hustler,  and  was 
prepared  for  a  vigorous  campaign.  The 
idea  of  responsibility  and  possible  failure 
was  ever  before  me,  and  I  dreaded  a  re- 
peated ordeal  of  hypothecated  trunks  and 
very  uncertain  remuneration.  He  had 
seen  my  performance  of  the  part  in 
Canada,  and  felt  sure  of  success.  He 
failed  to  persuade  me,  however,  and  left 
me  with  the  remark  that  I  was  the  blank- 
est fool  he'd  ever  come  across. 

An  offer  of  an  engagement  to  play  in 
May  Howard's  company  in  Halifax, 
N.  S.,  came  in  the  nick  of  time.  The 
salary  was  very  small,  but  I  had  no  choice 
and  accepted  it.  The  expression,  "Go 
to  Halifax,"  was  not  unfamiliar  to  me. 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.  9I 

I  evoked  it  on  many  occasions  in  my 
dramatic  life,  and  now  I  had  literally  to 
obey  the  mandate.  But  I  cared  not  for  I 
was  becoming  acclimated,  as  it  were,  to 
the  slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous  for- 
tune. My  struggles  and  best  endeavors  to 
excel  had  brought  me  more  kicks  than 
half-pence.  Fate  was  against  me  and 
hope  had  left  me.  In  this  mood  I  ar- 
rived in  Halifax. 

Business  was  good  and  our  season  con- 
tinued longer  than  we  expected,  and  I 
soon  forgot,  in  the  prosperity  of  the  pres- 
ent, the  hard  conditions  of  the  past. 
After  our  performance  it  was  customary  to 
meet,  in  the  Halifax  Hotel,  a  few  merry 
souls,  and  with  them  while  away  the  night 
in  blithesome  chat  and  liberal  potation. 
This  we  fretjuently  did  until    "the  morn 


92         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

in  russet  mantle  clad"  would  send  its 
glowing  light  through  the  clinks  of  shut- 
ter and  the  sun  shoot  a  glimmer  over  the 
dingy  blind.  On  one  such  sweet  May 
morn,  we  revelers — "The  Owls  "  we  called 
ourselves — touched  by  the  spirit  of  early 
dawn,  determined  upon  a  long  walk  to 
the  point,  a  lovely  spot  where  jagged  rocks 
are  bathed  in  ocean's  spray,  and  the  silver 
maple  flutters  in  the  morning's  breath. 
Here  we  played  and  romped  like  very 
school  lads.  We  raced  and  fenced  and 
sparred,  and  did  all  sorts  of  mad  things, 
and  then  back  to  the  hotel  and  to  prosy 
life  again.  After  breakfast  came  the 
theater,  and  rehearsal,  of  course.  There 
our  escapades  were  discussed  by  some 
members  of  the  company,  and  one 
young   lady  said    to    me  quite  seriously. 


FELIX   morris's   REMINISCEN'CES.        93 

the  others  treating  the  matter  as  a  huge 
joke: 

"Don't  you  think  it  a  pity  that  any  one 
with  your  talent  should  throw  himself 
away  as  you  are  doing  ?  " 

I  was  stricken  dumb.  I  stammered 
out  something  and  moved  away.  This 
remark  set  me  to  thinking,  however. 
Nobody  had  ever  taken  that  view  of  my 
proceedings  before,  and  the  idea  bothered 
me.  Indeed,  it  haunted  me.  I  could 
not  rid  myself  of  it.  I  gradually  with- 
drew from  the  Owl  Club,  where  I  had 
been  a  leading  light,  and  the  influence 
of  that  one  remark  was  manifest  at  the 
time  and  has  since  become  manifest 
for  all  time  ;  for  that  young  lady  sub- 
sequently became  my  wife,  and  to  her 
sagacity  and    forethought  I  attribute  any 


94         FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

success  I  have   since   made   in   the   pro- 
fession. 

George  Fawcett  Rowe  and  his  bride, 
Kate  Girard,  a  lovely  creature,  came  down 
and  played  an  engagement  with  us.  They 
were,  at  that  date,  in  what  the  French 
term  their  hine  de  miel.  Never  were  two 
such  lovers.  To  the  prosaic  and  unen- 
amored  their  cooing  was  an  amusing 
study.  They  were  at  the  "lovey-dovey" 
period  of  existence,  and  influenced  by 
sentiment,  and,  in  defiance  of  common 
sense,  determined  to  appear  in  "The 
Ticket- of- Leave  Man."  Mr.  Rowe  played 
Bob  Brierly  and  his  wife  May  Edivards. 
It  was  a  most  ordinary  effort  on  his  part, 
and  he  was  so  eccentric  and  peculiar  that 
his  Bob  Brierly  was  entirely  out  of  har- 
mony with  all  the  traditions  of  what  the 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         95 

character  should  be.  The  audience  was 
amused.  Mr.  Rowe's  pathos  was  laughed 
at,  and  his  comedy  received  most  serious 
attention.  He  was  oblivious,  however,  to 
the  situation,  and  with  streaming  eyes 
and  besmirched  face — for  his  make-up 
had  run  in  every  direction — he  assured  me 
that  "this  sort  of  part,  dear  boy,  always 
takes  it  out  of  me,  and  to  have  such  an 

angel   to  play  wiih  is  too  d d  awful 

for  anything."  I  mention  this  incident 
with  no  idea  of  detracting  from  his  match- 
less performance  of  Micawber — a  perform- 
ance that  delighted  Charles  Dickens  him- 
self, and  one  that  will  live  forever  in  the 
memory  of  those  who  were  fortunate 
enough  to  witness  it.  It  must  take  rank 
as  a  work  of  exquisite  drollery.  Fawcett 
Rowc  was  a  man  of  highest  intelligence 


96         FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

and  attainments,  possessing  exquisite 
taste  and  sententious  humor,  a  delightful 
companion,  and  a  rare,  kind  heart. 
Surely,  the  place  that  he  occupied  is  still 
vacant  and  will  not  again  be  filled. 

An  unusual  incident  occurred  at  a 
benefit  performance,  which  was  tendered 
to  me  by  the  officers  of  the  North  Atlantic 
Squadron,  then  in  the  harbor.  They  re- 
quested me  to  play  William  in  "Black- 
eyed  Susan  " — rather  a  singular  request, 
but  there  was  no  way  out  of  it.  They  de- 
manded it  and  I  had  to  comply.  '  One  of 
the  officers  was  an  old  fellow-student,  and 
I  rather  think  he  instigated  the  conspiracy. 
To  make  the  production  as  realistic  as 
possible,  all  the  necessary  uniforms  were 
furnished  by  the  officers,  together  with 
boatswain,  boatswain's  mate  and  twenty- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.         97 

five  Jack  tars.  The  admiral  was  present, 
and  ladies  and  officers  from  the  foit  were 
there — a  truly  delightful  audience. 

The  first  piece  went  admirably,  and  then 
we  cleared  the  decks  for  action.  The 
sailors  had  been  kept  in  the  background 
during  the  early  part  of  the  evening.  Some 
were  watching  the  play  from  the  wings 
while  others  were  satiating  a  liberal  thirst 
by  frequent  visits  to  the  adjacent  dram- 
shops. The  play  proceeded  splendidly 
until  we  arrived  at  the  scene  where  Wil- 
liam and  all  his  pals  are  enjoying  liberty 
ashore.  One  of  the  company  sang  Nancy 
Lee,  the  sailors  joining  in  the  chorus. 
They  sang  with  a  will.  They  would  not 
belay.  "'Vast  heaving,"  shouted  the 
boatswain,  but  no  notice  was  taken  The 
boatswain's  pipe  shrilly  whistled  "  Belay! 


98      FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

belay!  belay!"  The  song  was  a  favorite 
with  them,  and  this  was  their  chance.  So 
they  improved  it  with  a  vigor  character- 
istic of  men  who  plough  the  waters. 

The  audience  waved  and  applauded 
which  only  increased  the  hubbub. 
Finally,  from  sheer  lack  of  breath,  the 
men  quieted  down,  and  then  one  of  their 
number  danced  a  hornpipe.  He  was  the 
swell  dancer  of  the  fleet,  and  the  enco- 
miums and  encouragement  he  received 
from  his  mates  were  too  realistic  for  any- 
thing. The  tars  had  the  deck  and  for  the 
time  we  were  powerless.  To  cap  the 
climax,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  dance  a 
big,  brawny,  bearded  salt  staggered  down 
to  the  footlights,  and,  shaking  his  huge 
fist  at  the  audience,  hurled  a  challenge 
in    stentorian   tones   to    "Any   bloomin' 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES,  99 

number  of  bloomin'  landlubbers  who 
wanted  their  bloomin'  daylights  staved 
in!"  It  took  ""the  whole  crew  and  the 
bo'suns  two,"  to  get  him  away  and  allay 
his  excitement.  It  looked  at  one  time 
as  if  the  Irish  remedy  of  a  free  fight  would 
be  the  only  means  of  restoring  harmony, 
and  we  all  felt  greatly  relieved  when  the 
curtain  fell,  and  after  much  handshaking 
and  three  rousing  cheers  we  parted  com- 
pany with  our  nautical  friends. 

At  the  end  of  the  Halifax  season  we 
went,  under  Mr.  Leslie  Gossin's  manage- 
ment, to  Jamestown,  Lake  Chautauqua, 
N.  Y.  The  summer  days  went  pleasantly 
by,  and  we  were  fairly  successful.  We 
enjoyed  the  place  hugely.  I  played 
rather  a  ridiculous  figure  there  one  day. 
I  indulged  my  fondness  for  swimming  on 
s 


lOO      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

every  possible  occasion,  and  was  arrested, 
together  with  half-a-dozen  dirty  little 
urchins,  and  taken  by  the  village  Dogberry 
before  the  squire.  This  important  person- 
age, who  was  happily  an  inveterate  theater- 
goer, dismissed  me  with  a  reprimand, 
which  he  afterwards  explained,  as  we 
pledged  each  other  in  a  friendly  cocktail, 
was  necessary  on  account  of  Dogberry. 

Morris  Simmonds,  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted for  many  engagements,  sent  me  an 
offer  to  play  comedy  parts  in  the  Califor- 
nia Theater,  San  Francisco.  After  some 
negotiating  the  contract  was  signed  and 
the  future  looked  hopeful  to  some  one 
else  besides  myself — one  whose  interest  in 
my  affairs  has  never  flagged,  whose  judg- 
ment has  never  erred,  who,  bearing  with 
me  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day,  fares 


FELfX    MORRIS  S    RF.MINISCENCF.S.       lOI 

forward  with  me,  ever  cheerful  and  ever 
hopeful. 

vir. 

The  journey  across  this  wonderful  con- 
tinent was  full  of  interest  to  me.  I  real- 
ized for  the  first  time  the  vastness  of  the 
land  in  which  I  lived.  After  leaving 
Omaha  fourteen  years  ago  hardly  a  house 
was  to  be  seen — nothing  but  rolling  prairie 
and  never-ending  alkali  plains.  Tiny 
settlements  clustered  around  the  railroad 
depots  and  rough  shanties  abounded, 
while  empty  tomato  cans  and  bottles 
were  the  chief  features  of  the  landscape. 
But  now  in  place  of  these  we  see  flourish- 
ing towns  and  thriving  villages,  which 
attest  the  wonderful  growth  and  develop- 
ment that  have  taken  place  in  that  com- 


102      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

paratively  short  period  since  my  first 
journey  to  the  sunset  land  was  undertaken. 
Ogden,  with  its  magnificent  depot  of  to- 
day, was  then  one  long,  low,  rambling 
shed,  with  here  and  there  a  solitary  ft-ame 
house  in  the  distance.  You  saw  the  same 
beautiful  green  valley,  the  same  glorious 
range  of  mountains  ;  but  the  country  was 
sparsely  settled — a  lovely  but  lonely  place, 
I  thought  it.  I  strolled  up  and  down  the 
railroad  platform,  and  at  the  farther  end 
saw  a  man  unloading  a  wagon  load  of 
apples.  The  fruit  looked  so  fine,  they 
were  such  splendid  specimens,  that  I  asked 
him  where  they  came  from. 

"Oh,  jeest  a  wee  bit  up  the  valley," 
said  he,  "I  raise  them  myself" 

The  moment  he  opened  his  lips  I  knew 
he  was  a  Scotchman,  and  I  immediately 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       IO3 

addressed  him  in  the  Scotch  dialect.  I 
branched  out  on  the  subject  of  Mormon- 
ism,  and  expressed  myself  rather  freely 
thereon.     He  listened  and  replied: 

"  Weel,  I'm  jeest  a  wee  bit  o' a  Mor- 
mon myself."  I  didn't  believe  this  pos- 
sible of  a  Scotchman  with  strict  Presby- 
terian principles,  with  the  old  kirk  and 
teachings  ever  in  his  memory. 

"  Aye,  there's  a  good  deal  in  what  you 
say,  nae  doubt,"  said  he;  "bit  I've  been 
here  maeny  years,  and  I've  done  vera  week 
I've  done  vera  weel"  he  repeated,  and 
with  an  indescribable  wink  of  the  eye  and 
an  impressive  hand  shake,  he  got  into  his 
wagon  and  drove  away.  The  Scotch  ex- 
cuse amused  me  very  much.  It  was  so 
characteristic,  such  a  touch  of  nature.  I 
am  half  Scotchman  myself      I  know  the 


104      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

peculiarities  of  the  race  and  the  impor- 
tance they  infrequently  attach  to  the  solids 
and  substantials  of  this  life. 

With  the  exception  of  a  little  excite- 
ment caused  by  a  rumor  of  train  robbers 
and  the  presence  of  a  guard  of  United 
States  troops  on  our  train,  nothing  hap- 
pened to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  last  part 
of  our  journey.  After  the  snow  sheds  are 
passed  the  descent  from  the  Sierras  is 
rapid,  and  pines  give  way  to  live  oak; 
sage  bush  and  vines  and  orange  and  fig 
trees  reveal  a  land  of  perpetual  sunshine 
and  cloudless  sky.  As  we  rolled  on  to  the 
railroad  pier  at  Oakland  glimpses  of  the 
Golden  Gate  and  the  hazy,  limitless  be- 
yond, bathed  in  warmest  tints  of  setting 
sun,  held  me  spellbound.  A  friendly 
voice  and  a  slap  on  the  back  brought  me 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.      IO5 

to  earth  again.  Frank  Colter,  my  old 
friend  of  my  first  Canadian  campaign,  had 
taken  the  trouble  to  come  and  meet  me. 
He  was  the  juvenile  man  of  the  California 
Theater. 

This  theater  was  under  the  manage- 
ment of  General  Barton  and  Frank  Law- 
ler.  They  had  already  opened  with  the 
new  company  and  had  fared  indifferently 
at  the  hands  of  critic  and  public.  The 
memory  of  John  McCuUough  and  his  un- 
rivaled band  of  players  was  too  strong  to 
be  easily  forgotten,  and  I  realized  the 
difficulties  before  me.  It  was  no  easy 
triumph,  I  thought,  to  gain  recognition 
in  the  face  of  such  slanch  adherence  to 
the  old  rdgime.  Robert  Paleman  was  my 
predecessor,  and  he  was  an  excellent 
comedian   and  character  actor.     A  simi- 


I06      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

larity  in  our  st}le  was  recognized  which 
rather  tended  to  intensify  comparison. 
My  opening  was  unfortunate.  The  part 
oi Dan,  the  fire  laddie,  in  the  "Streets  of 
New  York,"  in  which  I  appeared,  did  not 
leave  scope  for  much  variety.  The  papers 
criticised  my  appearance  and  spoke  of  my 
advent  as  another  disappointment  in  the 
new  stock  company.  I  said  nothing,  of 
course,  but  I  thought  a  good  deal,  and 
prepared  for  the  struggle  before  me  with  a 
degree  of  determination  and  perseverance 
that  meant  either  death  to  my  dramatic 
and  domestic  aspirations  or  a  brilliant  vic- 
tory for  both. 

The  comic  opera  "Fatinitza"  was  to 
receive  its  fiist  presentation  in  America  in 
the  California  Theater.  I  was  cast  for  the 
Reporter,  the  leading  tenor  part.      I  told 


FELIX    MOKKISS    RKMINISCENCKS.       IO7 

Barton  Hill,  our  stage  manager,  that  I  was 
not  an  operatic  tenor. 

"Never  mind,  my  boy,  it  is  a  good 
part,  a  good  part,"  said  he,  "  you'll  be  all 
right." 

I  doubted  the  assertion  very  much,  and 
when  my  voice  was  tried  it  was  at  once 
discovered  that  instead  of  being  all  right 
it  was  all  wrong,  Charlie  Schultz,  our 
musical  director,  remarking  : 

"Auf  you  sing  ut  like  dat,  you'll  get 
h !" 

I  quite  agreed  with  him. 

Harry  Gates,  the  well-known  tenor, 
was  finally  engaged  for  the  part,  and  I 
was  assigned  the  part  of  the  Pasha.  I 
asked  Barton  Hill  if  I  might  pad  the  part 
a  bit.  He  very  kindly  allowed  me  to  do 
what  I  liked  with  it,  stipulating  only  for 


I08      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

the  cues.  I  played  the  character  with  a 
slight  French  accent,  crowding  into  it  all 
the  slang  I  could  think  of,  and  always 
apologizing  for  so  doing  with  the  gag, 
"Excuse  the  Western  expression!"  It 
was  an  act  of  desperation  on  my  part — a 
stake  all  in  a  lottery  sort  of  thing — and 
I  fortunately  drew  a  prize.  The  effort 
was  applauded  and  laughed  at  by  the 
audience,  and  most  heartily  and  gen- 
erously commended  by  the  press,  and  so 
the  battle  was  won.  I  steadily  and  surely 
increased  my  reputation,  and  to-day  I 
have  no  kinder  friends,  no  more  steadfast 
admirers,  than  those  who  greet  me  in  San 
Francisco. 

Mining  speculations  were  rife  at  the 
time,  and  a  boom  was  on  the  boards. 
Sierra  Nevada  stocks  were  flying  heaven- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.        IO9 

wards ;  the  whole  city  trembled  with  ex- 
citement ;  it  was  contagious  ;  your  very 
shoeblack  thrilled  you  with  the  latest  news 
as  he  polished  your  boots ;  your  Chinese 
laundryman  imparted  mysterious  pointers; 
fortunes  were  to  be  made  for  nothing — 
without  outlay  ;  a  nod  of  the  head  and 
you  were  worth  thousands.  Wiser  men 
than  I  were  carried  off  their  feet  and  over 
their  heads  in  the  overwhelming  tide.  It 
was  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  Mister 
Noodle  went  and  did  likewise. 

How  rapidly  it  was  done,  too  !  A  ray 
of  light  is  not  swifter  in  its  progress  than 
the  Stock  Exchange  transaction  I  went 
through  and  which  landed  me  with  a  debt 
which  it  took  most  of  my  season's  salary 
to  pay  off.  A  speculation  on  margin  is,  I 
believe,  the  correct  definition  of  the  finan- 


no     FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMIMSCENCES. 

cial  nightmare  that  swept  over  me  like  a 
cyclone.  My  very  good  friend,  Tom 
Maguire,  Jr.,  our  treasurer,  helped  me  out 
of  the  difficulty  by  paying  my  notes  as 
they  came  due,  deducting  payments  from 
my  salary,  thus  easing  the  pressure  for  me. 
His  peculiarity  is  an  abnormal  develop- 
ment of  heart.  He  is,  in  fact,  to  his  inti- 
mates, a  modernized  edition  of  "  Tennes- 
see's Pardner,"  a  type  you  seldom  meet 
with  outside  of  California.  As  an  in- 
stance :  A  friend  wanted  to  borrow  a 
certain  sum,  and  of  course  applied  to  Tom, 
who  happened  to  be  short  of  funds  at  the 
time. 

"Is  it  very  particular.?"  queried  Tom. 

"Very,"  said  the  friend. 

"  Come  back  in  half  an  hour  and  I'll 
see  what  I  can  do  for  you. " 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       Ill 

At  the  expiration  of  the  half  hour  the 
friend  was  on  hand  with  a  pleasant  smile. 
Tom  produced  the  money  and  handed  it 
to  the  friend  with  a  "  Don't  mention  it, 
old  man,"  in  answer  to  the  friend's  tlianks. 
It  was  afterward  revealed  by  a  third  party 
that  Tom's  favorite  diamond  stud  was  the 
collateral  used  to  raise  the  money  for  the 
friend.  And  the  friend  was  myself.  I 
never  think  of  the  incident  without  ex- 
claiming, "  Greater  love  than  this  hath 
no  man  !" 

Our  season  progressed  satisfactorily, 
business  appeared  to  be  flourshing  and  it 
was  not  until  the  advent  of  Stars  that  our 
luck  changed.  Lawrence  Barrett  played  a 
not  very  lucrative  engagement.  "Yorick's 
Love,"  however,  which  was  produced  for 
the  first  time,  made  an  excellent   impres- 


112      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

sion  and  did  well.  Boucicauli's  engage- 
ment was  not  profitabje  to  the  manage- 
ment, his  guarantee  of  $500  a  perform- 
ance handicapped  the  receipts,  and  it  was 
not  his  first  visit  to  the  coast  either.  The 
engagement  was  for  four  weeks,  and  it 
crippled  the  management  in  spite  of  that 
great  artist's  work.  Who  can  ever  forge  t  his 
Con,  the  Shaughraun,  and  his  inimitable 
Kerry  !  The  finish,  delicacy  and  pathos  of 
the  latter  performance  has  seldom  been 
equaled  and  never  surpassed  on  any  stage. 
Ada  Cavendish  played  a  very  good  en- 
gagement with  us  in  a  round  of  legitimate 
characters.  Our  company  was  strength- 
ened, and  such  artists  as  INIrs.  Judah,  Mrs. 
Saunders,  Kate  Denin,  Ada  Oilman, 
Jeffreys  Lewis,  sweet  Nina  Varian,  old  Mr. 
Lehman,    Tom    Keene,    John     Wilson, 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENXES.      IIj 

Harry  Courtaine  and  others  rendered  the 
productions  in  every  way  effective. 

Lester  Wallack's  engagement  was  some- 
what of  a  disappointment.  Many  of  his 
pieces  had  already  been  played  by  the  old 
stock  company,  and  I  think,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly,  he  shortened  his  stay  by  one 
or  two  weeks.  He  was  very  kind  to  me. 
After  playing  his  son  in  "My  Awful  Dad" 
he  inquired  where  the  deuce  I  had  been 
keeping  myself  He  had  never  heard  of  me 
before,  and  he  asked  me  to  let  him  know  if 
I  ever  found  my  way  East.  I  enjoyed  his 
performances  immensely.  How  handsome 
he  was,  the  beau  ideal  of  a  light  comedian! 
Few  young  men  of  that  day,  or  of  this  day, 
for  the  matter  of  that,  could  compare  with 
him  then.  John  T.  Raymond,  Robson 
and  Crane  and  Frank   Chanfrau  followed 


114      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

in  rapid  succession.  My  dramatic  expe- 
rience was  thus  wonderfully  varied. 
Florence,  too,  played  an  engagement  with 
us.  John  E.  Owens,  in  a  round  of 
comedy  characters,  impressed  me  very 
much.  I  still  regard  him  as  one  of  the 
most  unctuous  and  versatile  comedians  I 
have  ever  seen.  His  performance  in 
"  Forty  Winks "  was  perfection  and  his 
Solon  Shingle  was  a  masterpiece  of  comedy 
characterization. 

In  spite  of  past  experience  in  mining 
operations,  I  was  induced  again  to  dabble 
in  stock.  This  time  it  was  our  idea  to 
start  a  practical  miner  out  to  a  new  district 
to  locate  mines.  We  did  so,  equipping 
him  in  every  way.  Alas  !  he  left  for  parts 
unknown  and  we  never  heard  of  him 
again.     Details  of  my  transactions   were 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       I  I  5 

carefully  reported  to  one  in  the  East  who 
had  my  interests  very  much  at  heart,  and 
in  spite  of  family  counsel  and  friendly 
warning,  her  argument  being  that  if  ever 
I  wanted  help  and  assistance  and  advice 
now  was  the  appointed  time,  she  valiantly 
started  to  the  rescue.  I  was  at  the  time 
living  with  some  of  this  young  lady's  con- 
nections and  they  very  kindly  made  prep- 
arations to  receive  her.  We  were  married 
immediately  after  her  anival,  on  Sunday 
afternoon.  In  my  excitement  I,  of  course, 
mislaid  the  marriage  certificate,  and  rushed 
all  over  town  only  to  find  it  safely  stowed 
away  in  my  inside  vest  pocket. 

After  the  ceremony,  a  delightful  little 
wedding  feast  was  tendered  us  by  our 
friends.  My  duties  called  me  to  the 
theater,  but  what  the  performance  was  or 


Il6      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

how  I  got  through  it  I  cannot  to  this  day 
remember.  The  day  had  been  one  of  sun- 
shine and  shower — clouds  and  alternate 
azure — but  as  the  minister  marshalled  the 
little  troop  and  addressed  us,  the  clouds 
kindly  dispersed  and  the  glorious  beams  of 
the  setting  sun  biightened  the  scene  and 
gladdened  our  hopeful  hearts.  We  took 
courage  and  had  faith  in  the  future.  That 
faith  we  siill  possess  and  will  to  the  end. 
Common  sense  and  practical  methods  soon 
restored  a  financial  equilibrium,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  our  stay  in  California  was  soci- 
ally and  professionally  pleasant  in  the  ex- 
treme. We  need  not  marvel,  then,  that  our 
hearts  warm  to  the  kind  hearts,  to  the  true 
friendships  and  to  the  lovely  W^estern  land 
we  know  so  well. 


Till-:    GAME    OF    CARDS. 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       II7 
VIII. 

We  left  California  for  the  East,  and  for 
a  time  the  sunshine  of  prosperity  was 
dimmed,  our  struggles  frequently  going 
unrewarded  and  our  salaries  being  often 
unpaid.  I  blamed  myself  very  much  for 
these  lesults,  as  the  following  account  will 
explain.  Lester  Wallack  heard  of  my  ar- 
rival in  the  East,  and  through  Morris 
Simmonds  engaged  me  to  support  him 
through  New  England.  Everything  went 
well  until  we  played  in  New  Haven,  and 
there  at  the  matinee  something  upset  Mr. 
Wallack's  temper  and  he  pitched  into  the 
carpenters,  and  while  he  was  in  a  stormy 
mood  several  members  of  the  company 
evoked  his  ire.  I  happened  along  at  the 
time  and  he  paid  his  respects  to  me.     I 


Il8      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

felt  aggrieved,  as  I  had  done  nothing  to 
warrant  the  attack.  I  told  him  this  and 
in  a  high-handed  manner  demanded  an 
apology  before  I  would  go  on  the  stage 
again.  This  was  conceded  and  the  play 
proceeded.  Mr.  Wallack  never  forgot  the 
incident,  and  at  the  end  of  the  engage- 
ment, which  was  for  six  weeks,  he  re- 
marked to  Fawcett  Rowe,  "There's  that 
fellow  Morris,  just  the  man  I  wanted,  but 
by  Gad,  sir !  you  can't  touch  him  with  a 
forty-foot  pole  ! " 

As  a  rule,  Mr.  Wallack  was  kindness 
and  consideration  itself  to  everybody.  On 
this  occasion,  however,  something  or  other 
had  disturbed  the  serenity  of  his  mood 
and  the  stand  I  took  in  the  matter  was  an 
extreme  one,  and  logically  enough  it  was 
the  most  disastrous  in  its  effects,  as  will 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       II  9 

appear.  Two  or  three  short  engagements 
filled  in  a  few  weeks — what  is  termed 
"jobbing"  in  the  profession — which  were 
neither  satisfactory  nor  remunerative. 
Then  we  drifted  over  to  Jersey  City  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  Gouge,  and  vainly 
struggled  to  establish  a  stock  company 
there.  The  season  ended  in  a  short  time 
with  salaries  unpaid  and  the  outlook  most 
unpromising.  Our  next  move  brought 
us  West  to  Louisville  and  vicinity,  where 
for  four  weeks  we  appeared  in  Col.  Nu- 
nez's play,  entitled  "Saints  and  Sinners," 
and  then  we  very  gladly  accepted  an  invi- 
tation to  spend  the  summer  with  my  wife's 
relatives. 

Another  season  opened  with  no  better 
luck.  The  engagement  was  unsuccess- 
ful, and  I  must  acknowledge  my  despond- 


I  20      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

ency  at  the  time,  in  spite  of  my  wife's  en- 
couragement and  sanguine  views.  An 
offer  of  an  engagement  which  took  us  to 
the  West  Indies  was  finally  made.  We 
were  both  engaged  and  we  started  off  in 
high  spirits,  and  more  hopeful  than  our 
friends  were  when  they  heard  with  dismay 
of  our  departure.  I  will  not  attempt  a* 
description  of  our  passage.  In  the  com- 
fortable steamer  of  the  Atlas  line  we  had 
the  usual  blow  off  Cape  Halteras  and  the 
gradual  gliding  into  perfect  weather. 
Spice-laden  zephyrs  fanned  our  progress 
as  we  approached  Crooked  Island,  and 
the  rest  of  our  journey  was  an  el}sian 
dream. 

We  landed  at  Kingston,  Jamaica,  De- 
cember 24th.  Every  one  there  predicted 
absolute  failure,  citing  any  number  of  in- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES,       121 

cidents  to  prove  the  impossibility  of  suc- 
cess. We  knew  our  manager's  capital 
consisted  of  scenery  only  and  that  his  cash 
had  been  expended  in  the  transportation 
of  his  company.  But  we  were  not  dis- 
mayed. My  wife  thought  a  trip  to  the 
lovely  island  worth  any  financial  incon- 
venience we  might  be  subjected  to,  and  I 
felt  hopeful  from  the  fact  that  my  name 
was  well  known  in  Jamaica,  where  my 
father  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  traders,  and  where  he  owned  prop- 
erty on  the  north  side  of  the  island.  That 
a  certain  amount  of  curiosity  would  be 
evoked  on  account  of  my  connections  I 
was  quite  certain.  Our  engagement  was 
for  two  weeks  only  and  we  gave  but  four 
performances  a  week. 

The   opening   performance   was  a   tri- 


122      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

umph  and  our  success  was  instantly  as- 
sured. We  remained  eight  weeks  and 
appeared  before  crowded  houses  in  a  re- 
pertoire of  not  less  than  thirty  pieces. 
We  gave  "Pinafore"  with  pretty  Annie 
Russel  as  Josephhie,  Tommy  Russell  as 
the  Midshipmite,  Jack  Stewart  as  Dick 
Deadeye  (one  of  the  best  performances  of 
the  part  ever  given),  J.  H.  Gilmour  as  the 
Bosun,  myself  as  Sir  Joseph  Porter, 
K.  C.  B.  This  performance  had  to  be 
repeated  again  and  again.  We  were  en- 
tertained by  officers  on  sea  and  officers  on 
land  and  were  socially  feted  and  petted 
everywhere.  Our  reception  called  to  mind 
my  former  IMontreal  experiences. 

In  spite  of  the  incessant  work  the 
change  of  programme  entailed,  our  stay 
was  full  of  enjoyment  and  crowded  with 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       I  23 

pleasure.  Our  next  point  was  Barbadoes, 
one  of  the  Windward  Islands.  The  Royal 
mail  steamer  Medway  was  the  one  selected 
for  the  voyage.  She  was  a  magnificent 
boat,  perfectly  officered  and  manned.  A 
Siamese  prince,  a  cousin  of  King  Thee- 
baw,  was  one  of  a  number  of  distinguished 
passengers.  He  was  a  midshipman  in  the 
British  navy  and  was  going  to  England  on 
leave  of  absence.  He  was  a  mild-man- 
nered person  with  a  perfect  mania  for 
waltzing.  We  touched  at  San  Domingo, 
on  our  way,  and  were  amused  at  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  island,  who  raced  out 
in  huge  scows  to  our  steamer  lying  in  the 
offing.  We  were  at  least  a  mile  from  the 
island  and  the  frantic  eftbrts  of  the  native 
boatmen  to  reach  us  were  indeed  amus- 
ing.    Their  jargon   when  they  did  arrive 


124      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

consisted  of  incomprehensible  French.  It 
was  a  babel,  and  free  fights  galore  were 
features  of  the  demonstration.  Order  was 
restored  only  by  deluging  them  all  with 
water  from  the  ship's  hose,  one  of  the 
sailors  remarking :  "It's  the  only  way  ye 
can  manage  them  bloomin'  duft'ers. " 

Then  Barbadoes  !  a  densely  populated, 
glaring  place  with  roads  that  scintillate 
and  glitter  in  their  whiteness ;  so  shiny 
that  at  noontime  they  are  painful  to  gaze 
upon.  The  sugar  cane  fields  aflford  a 
grateful  contrast,  of  course,  but  oh  I  how 
the  sun  beats  down  and  how  the  intensity 
of  the  glare  grows  upon  you. 

And  the  "true  Barbadian  born"  col- 
ored gentleman — what  an  aggressive,  rabid 
creature  he  is  !  And  how  generally  un- 
comfortable and  miserable  you  feel,  and 


FEI.IX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I  25 

what  a  wretched  hotel,  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  public  slaughter  house  !  How  ruth- 
lessly interrupted  is  your  restless  sleep,  and 
how  the  certainty  of  some  portion  of  one  of 
the  wretched  animals  finding  its  way  to 
your  breakfast  table  haunts  you  until  the 
very  thoughts  of  pig  make  you  groan!  Of 
course,  one  cannot  forget  the  superb  view 
from  Hackleton's  Cliff  or  the  sea  bathing 
at  Hastings.  The  people  were  most  kind 
and  hospitable  and  our  business  was  excel- 
lent. We  were  not  sorry,  however,  to 
leave  for  Demerara,  South  America. 

Georgetown,  the  capital,  was  a  surprise 
to  us,  lying  almost  below  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  had  been  treated  by  its  former 
possessors,  the  Dutch,  very  much  after  the 
method  of  their  native  Holland.  Diked 
in   every   direction,  it  boasted  a  modern 


126      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

market  erected  by  an  American,  and  it 
had  street  cars,  gas  and  a  wonderful  trop- 
ical garden.  Here  success  crowned  our 
efforts,  business  being  extremely  good. 
Reports  of  yellow  fever  outbreaks  in  Trin- 
idad, a  contiguous  island,  and  one  or  two 
sporadic  cases  in  Demerara  itself,  we  re- 
garded in  the  light  of  warning.  We  had 
already  reached  the  month  of  May,  had 
worked  unflaggingly  for  six  months  in  the 
tropics  and  longed  to  get  home  again. 

For  some  reason  or  other  our  anxiety 
was  not  shared  by  the  management,  so  we 
declined  to  continue  and  demanded  a  set- 
tlement. This  was  refused  and  we  placed 
our  affairs  in  the  hands  of  the  principal 
lawyer  of  Demerara.  He  told  us  the  law 
of  debit  and  credit  was  very  concise  and 
he  would  easily  obtain  our  just  due.    The 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I  27 

expense  of  the  journey  home  by  steamer 
was  very  considerable,  so  I  determined 
upon  a  sailing  vessel,  a  Nova  Scotian 
by  the  way,  a  schooner  of  90  tons  reg- 
ister. She  looked  the  merest  mite  for 
such  a  voyage.  The  captain's  wife  was 
with  him  and  this  satisfied  my  own  wife. 
We  expected  to  make  the  run  in  twelve  to 
fourteen  days.  We  started  and  in  a  short 
time  were  becalmed  in  the  muddy  waters 
of  the  bay.  There  we  wallowed  and 
washed  about  for  twenty- four  hours  and 
then  proceeded  on  our  course.  A  smart 
breeze  drove  us  past  Barbadoes.  The  last 
glimpse  of  that  island,  with  gorgeous  trop- 
ical sun  setting  behind  it,  vanished  from 
our  view  in  golden  shimmer. 

In  a  few  hours  our  breeze  again  deserted 
us  and  for  twelve  long  days  and  longer 


128      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

nights  we  hardly  stirred.  A  breathless, 
dazzling,  awful  monotony  it  was,  unbroken 
by  any  event  worth  recording  beyond  the 
capture  of  a  huge  shark,  the  daily  report 
that  the  water  supply  was  getting  short 
and  the  alarming  diminution  of  the  totally 
inadequate  supply  of  provisions.  Our 
captain,  who  had  been  jollity  and  good 
humor  itself,  and  who  would  in  the  dog 
watch  enliven  the  situation  with  his  violin, 
became  by  turns  taciturn  and  morose  and 
then  wildly  excited.  The  demon  of  dis- 
cord seemed  to  possess  the  crew  and  one 
or  two  fearful  fights  ensued.  Our  situa- 
tion was  really  alarming,  for  we  were 
short-handed. 

And  still  we  stirred  not,  but  like  a  log 
our  vessel  lay  cracking  and  blistering  under 
the  vertical  rays  of  the  fiercest  sun.    Then 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       12CJ 

all  at  once,  as  if  maddened  by  an  angry 
sleep,  a  southwest  gale  sprung  up  and 
swooped  down  upon  us,  lashing  itself 
into  a  wild,  white  scudding  fury,  goading 
our  frail  vessel  to  the  utmost,  until  tremb- 
ling, groaning,  staggering  she  flew  before 
its  wrath,  escaping  for  a  moment  only  to 
be  mocked  again  by  fiercer  onslaught. 

The  captain  in  drunken  delirium 
crowded  on  every  stitch  of  canvas  until 
it  seemed  as  if  we  must  founder.  On  we 
raced  for  days  in  fog  and  mist  and  fearful 
tempest,  and  at  last  made  out  Cape  Sable 
light,  and  rushed  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
where  we  landed  on  the  Nova  Scotian 
coast.  After  twenty-eight  days  of  such 
terrible  experience  we  were  indeed  thank- 
ful to  escape  with  our  lives.  We  had  be- 
come accustomed  lo  surprises,  but  a  new 


130      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

one  yet  awaited  us,  for  when  we  had 
reached  New  York  in  safety  our  dehght  to 
be  back  again  was  heightened  by  finding  a 
letter  from  the  lawyer  in  Demerara  enclos- 
ing a  draft  for  the  balance  due  us  for  serv- 
ices while  there. 

IX. 

As  time  rolled  on  the  battle  became 
fiercer,  the  struggle  more  arduous,  the 
vein  of  comedy  that  seemed  to  permeate 
my  bachelor  experience  disappeared,  and 
the  responsibilities  at  times  weighed 
heavily.  I  will  endeavor  to  condense  my 
recital  of  the  next  few  seasons  and  briefly 
state  that  after  our  return  from  the  West 
Indies  I  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Samuel  Col- 
ville  in  the  original  production  of 
"Michael  Strogofl""  at  Booth's  Theater, 


THE  ,  ENGLISH    CORRESrONDENT. 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I3I 

New  York.  The  piece  was  splendidly 
mounted,  with  Frank  Bangs  in  the  title 
role  and  Newton  Gotthold  as  Ogareff. 

I  was  engaged  for  the  English  corre- 
spondent and  felt  dreadfully  nervous  about 
the  part,  as  changes  were  frequently  made 
as  the  rehearsals  progressed,  and  I  felt 
that  my  head  might  be  chopped  off  at  any 
moment.  The  result  of  the  first  night's 
performance  did  not  tend  to  allay  my  anx- 
iety, as  Mr.  Colville,  watching  the  pro- 
gress of  the  piece  from  the  wings,  would 
occasionally  snort  and  stamp  and  start  off 
on  a  short,  rapid  trot,  ominously  swinging 
his  coat-tails  behind  him.  This  was  al- 
ways a  sign  of  displeasure  in  his  case,  and 
at  last  I  heard  him  say  in  the  most  em- 
phatic manner  to  the  unfortunate  per- 
former who  played   the  opposite  part  to 


132      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

me  :   "  Not  a  d d  bit  like  it,  my  very 

dear  sir,  not  a  d d  bit  like  it  !"   W.  J. 

Ferguson   was    immediately    summoned, 
and  we  got  on  swimmingly  thereafter. 

After  the  first  run  of  the  piece  we  were 
re-engaged  by  that  prince  of  managers,  J. 
H.  Haverly,  who  was  then  at  his  zenith. 
He  was  a  kindly,  generous-hearted  and 
unobtrusive  little  man,  and  wonderfully 
successful  at  the  time.  Then  came  the 
production  of  the  comedy  of  "  Mother-in- 
Law  "  at  the  Park  Theater,  which  was 
quite  successful.  We  had  John  Dillon 
and  that  very  clever  actress,  Mrs.  Jane 
Germon,  and  Ed  Holland,  too,  if  I  re- 
member rightly,  in  the  cast.  I  played  the 
part  of  a  theatrical  manager  of  some  sort  or 
another,  and  made,  according  to  the  crit- 
ics, quite  a  little  hit.     Mr.  Samuel  Colville 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       1 33 

then  engaged  me  for  his  piece,  "Taken 
from  Life." 

Mr.  Beveridge  was  brought  over  from 
London  to  produce  it  and  play  one  of  the 
leading  parts.  Gerald  Eyre  played  the 
other.  The  latter  died  afterwards  in  Aus- 
tralia. We  opened  in  Chicago  at  Mc- 
Vickar's  Theater.  At  rehearsal  Mr.  Bev- 
eridge, an  excitable  person,  berated  and 
bully-ragged  the  supers,  who  with  one 
accord  lifted  up  their  voices  in  blasphe- 
mous protest  and  walked  out  of  the  theater, 
leaving  behind  them  a  much  surprised  and 
crestfallen  stage  director. 

Managerial  schemes  now  began  to  come 
under  my  notice.  Enterprises  that  could 
not  help  paying  handsomely  were  de- 
scribed to  me.  Problems  were  worked 
out  on   paper  into   dead    certainties.      It 


134      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

seemed  like  singular  short-sightedness  on 
my  wife's  part  that  she  should  hesitate  for 
a  second.  Alas  !  woman's  excessive  cau- 
tion often  frustrates  man's  grandest  oppor- 
tunities. Verily,  nothing  venture  nothing 
have.  Good  heavens  !  golden  fruit  within 
our  reach,  only  waiting  to  be  plucked  ! 
The  prospect  was  too  alluring  to  be  re- 
jected, so  we  organized  and  went  forth  to 
Newfoundland,  of  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  the  most  inaccessible  at  that  time  of 
year,  and  the  bleakest,  dreariest,  saddest, 
sorriest  hole  conceivable. 

We  appeared  and  disappeared  and  the 
place  thereof  knew  us  no  more.  We  moved 
in  a  mysterious  way  and  finally  reached 
New  York  again,  dazed  and  perplexed. 
I  roamed  about  waiting  for  the  sapient  re- 
mark, "  I  told  you  so,"  as  the  final  drop 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I35 

in  my  cup  of  disappointment  and  chagrin. 
It  never  came,  however,  but  in  its  stead  a 
flood  of  practical  suggestions  (for  which 
Mrs.  Felix  in  our  fiimily  circle  is  famous), 
whereby,  by  still  more  careful  economic.^, 
our  debt  of  some  $300  could  be  expunged. 
Now  came  Harry  Pitt's  offer  of  an  en- 
gagement at  the  old  Bijou  Theater  on 
Broadway.  We  opened  in  "  Caste,"  with 
Selina  Dolaro  as  Polly  Eccles,  Fanny  Ad- 
dison as  Esther,  Eben  Plympton  as  U Al- 
rqy,  Pitt  as  Hawtree,  and  old  Mr.  William 
Davidge  as  Eccles.  I  was  Sam  Gcrridge. 
The  production  made  quite  a  little  stir  in 
New  York  and  we  seemed  to  be  success- 
ful. Then  followed  the  "Two  Roses," 
and  several  of  Alberry's  pieces.  Our 
success  was  ephemeral,  however,  for 
the    season   ended    after  a  visit   to  Bos- 


136      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

ton  with  salaries  in  arrears  and  pockets 
empty. 

A  friendly  slap  on  the  back  and  a  cordial 
"Howdy"  broke  the  monotony  of  my 
trudge  on  Broadway  one  day.  I  turned, 
and  the  grasp  of  friendship  that  greeted 
me,  and  the  affectionate  inquiries  that 
rained  upon  me,  were  quite  cheering.  It 
was  Mr.  Ed  Rice,  of  "Evangeline" 
fame,  who  was  so  solicitous.  He  had 
been  looking  everywhere  for  me.  I  was 
the  one  being  on  earth,  it  seemed,  with 
whom  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  him 
to  come  in  contact. 

"  It's  all  right  my  boy;  comic  opera  is 
your  sphere.  There's  where  you're  a  dead 
sure  winner,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  But  the  voice — I  don't  sing  !" 

"  Sing  !"  he  replied,  "  I  don't  want  you 


i 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I37 

to  sing.  I  wouldn't  have  you  sing. 
Come  right  along  and  sign  with  me  ;  I've 
got  your  contract  in  my  pocket." 

Taking  out  numerous  documents,  he 
selected  one,  and  we  adjourned  to  an  ad- 
jacent cafe.  "What  are  you  going  to 
have,  old  man  ?  "  he  asked.  He  was 
always  the  soul  of  hospitality.  And  thus, 
after  a  careful  filling  in  of  documents, 
the  ceremony  ended  in  an  attachment 
of  signatures,  and  my  fate  was  sealed. 

We  were  to  open  in  Philadelphia  at  the 
Arch  Street  Opera  House,  so  we  bundled 
ourselves  over  there,  baby  daughter  and 
all,  and  found  quarters.  We  hired  a 
piano  and  began  our  operatic  career. 
Vocal  culture  was  the  first  step  on  the 
ladder  of  fame.  So  I  took  singing  les- 
sons.    The  tianquility  of  home  life  fled, 


138      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

an  unmusical  nightmare  followed.  Fever- 
ish anxiety  possessed  us.  Even  our  little 
daughter's  sympathy  was  evoked.  My 
violent  eiforts  distressed  her.  She  fre- 
quently remarked  :  "  Poor  little  papa  has 
to  sing  so  hard."  To  intensify  the  situ- 
ation, a  painful  uncertainty  about  salary 
forced  itself  upon  us.  From  the  begin- 
ning of  the  enterprise  we  received  small 
instalments  instead  of  the  weekly  sum 
agreed  upon.  It  was  discouraging,  but 
there  was  no  alternative.  Hope  sustained 
us,  and  enthusiasm  did  not  desert  us,  and 
Ed  Rice  was  such  an  ingenuous,  plaus- 
ible debtor,  so  fertile  in  promises  that 
your  ire  was  soothed,  your  anxiety  al- 
layed^ and  before  an  interview  with  him 
ended,  your  magnanimity  and  admiration 
were  aroused  in  his  behalf. 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I39 

We  produced,  after  several  other  efforts, 
"Lieutenant  Helene,"  a  comic  opera,  in 
which  I  played  a  burgomaster.  Henry 
Dixey  was  my  secretary  and  Hubert 
Wilke  made  his  first  appearance  in  an 
English-speaking  role  in  this  same  piece. 
I  mention  the  fact  simply  to  recall 
Henry  Dixey's  wonderful  imitation  of 
Irving,  which  he  first  attempted  in  this 
production.  My  comic  operatic  experi- 
ence came  abruptly  to  a  most  unsatisfac- 
tory end,  with  the  enterprising  manager 
very  considerably  in  our  debt.  His  as- 
surances of  speedy  settlement  were  never 
fulfilled,  although  our  frequent  applica- 
tion kept  the  matter  constantly  before 
him.  My  wife  undertook  the  doubtful 
task  of  making  a  collection,  and  I  must 
own    that    she    invariablv    received    the 


I40      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

politest  attention  and  warmest  welcome. 
But  that  was  all  she  did  receive.  The 
nearest  approach  to  a  settlement  was  an 
expression  of  regret  that  she  had  not 
arrived  a  little  sooner,  as  she  might  have 
accepted  a  turkey,  which  he  had  received 
from  a  friend  in  Boston,  and  had  gener- 
ously bestowed  upon  a  more  fortunate 
creditor.  That  turkey,  as  he  sententiously 
remarked,  would  have  been  something  on 
account,  anyhow  ! 

The  idea  finally  occurred  to  us  that  we 
could  better  stand  the  slings  and  arrows  of 
outrageous  fortune  in  a  very  modest 
establishment  of  our  own.  We,  therefore, 
discovered  a  little  flat  and  furnished  it  in 
the  simplest  manner,  our  sitting-room 
having  to  remain  in  a  state  of  nature,  so 
to  speak,   as  our  funds  would  not  admit 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I4I 

of  the  luxury  of  furniture  of  so  elaborate 
description  as  is  demanded  by  sitting- 
rooms.  Snugly  installed  in  our  own  home 
we  could  work  out  our  salvation  and  live 
according  to  our  slender  and  uncertain 
means,  we  said.  The  Puritan  simplicity 
of  our  surroundings  did  not  lessen  our 
contentment  nor  dampen  our  enjoyment. 
A  few  little  plants,  a  hyacinth  or  two,  a 
little  caged  songster  and  a  sweet  little 
baby  voice  gladdened  our  home  and 
lightened  our  cares.  Thus  encouraged, 
blessed  hope  grew  strong  again. 

Our  sitting-room,  with  its  open  grate, 
we  converted  into  a  grand  playroom.  The 
bare  floors  were  just  the  things  for  our 
romps  and  the  huge  fire  sparkled  and 
crackled  and  roared  at  our  games.  It 
was  almost  a  disappointment  when  our 


142      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

means  enabled  us  to  furnish  the  sitting- 
room,  and  most  unexpectedly  the  oppor- 
tunity came  about  for  us  to  do  so.  A 
lady  called  upon  us  with  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  one  of  my  artist  friends  and 
proceeded  to  explain  that  she  was  desirous 
of  appearing  in  the  guise  of  a  dramatic 
author.  She  knew  nothing  of  the  require- 
ments of  that  most  difficult  branch  of 
literature.  She  had  an  idea,  she  thought, 
which  was  susceptible  of  dramatic  treat- 
ment. She  produced  a  very  slim  scenario 
and  asked  me  to  undertake  the  matter  for 
her.  The  comedy  must  be  in  four  acts, 
she  said,  and  ready  for  her  by  Thursday. 
It  was  Monday  when  she  presented  her- 
self, and  if  she  approved  of  my  work  she 
promised  to  pay  me  a  snug  sum.  Her 
offer  opened  up  to  view  a  new  El  Dorado. 


I 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       143 

The  amount  offered  seemed  a  small 
fortune.  INIy  name  was  not  to  appear  in 
the  transaction  at  all,  but  from  one  point 
of  view,  at  least,  this  was  an  evident  ad- 
vantage, as  I  could  not  hope  for  fame 
from  any  such  forced  labor.  After  some 
argument  an  extension  of  time  was  granted, 
and  I  promised  completion  of  the  woik 
by  Saturday  morning.  That  gave  me 
four  days  and  nights  for  the  effort.  The 
playroom  became  my  workroom.  I  rolled 
off  sheet  after  sheet  of  arrant  nonsense, 
my  wife  copying  away  for  dear  life. 
The  pressure  was  tremendous,  and  we  sat 
up  all  night.  Meals  were  forgotten  and 
sleep  defied  until  the  poor  brain  rebelled. 
Something  had  to  be  done.  Tennyson 
derived  inspiration  from  gin  and  water, 
we   said,  and   so  I  tried   gin  and    milk. 


144      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCEN'CES. 

This  was  a  rude  shock  to  my  helpmate's 
ideas  on  the  subject  of  temperance  and 
moderation.  But  I  carried  out  my  plan, 
arguing  that  my  stimulant  was  a  modifica- 
tion of  the  poet  laureate's.  The  nourish- 
ment derived  from  the  milk,  and  the 
brain  stimulant  yielded  by  the  juniper 
juice,  was  all  that  I  required,  and  so  at 
regular  intervals,  homoeopathic  doses  of 
the  beverage  were  supplied,  and  the  four 
acts  were  at  last  completed. 

Gaunt  and  weary  and  worn,  we  re- 
ceived the  lady  on  Saturday  morning  and 
went  through  the  ordeal  of  reading  that 
which  had  been  so  hastily  prepared.  To 
our  indescribable  delight  she  pronounced 
herself  charmed  with  the  piece,  and  gen- 
erously paid  into  our  itching  palms  the 
amount  agreed  upon.     She   immediately 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       145 

left  for  Washington,  and  we  saw  her  no 
more.  What  the  fate  of  the  piece  was 
I  never  knew.  I  am  only  certain  of  one 
thing,  and  that  is  that  it  was  never  pro- 
duced. 

X. 

I\Ir.  Samuel  Colville  had,  at  consider- 
able expense,  procured  the  rights  of  pro- 
duction of  the  then  reigning  Parisian  suc- 
cess, the  "Pavements  of  Paris."  D'Ennery, 
that  master  of  melodrama,  was  one  of  the 
authors  of  the  piece  ;  it  was  adapted  by 
Cauzeran  and  produced  in  splendid  shape 
at  Niblo's  I  was  one  of  what  the  play 
bills  termed  "a  carefully  selected  cast," 
and  we  had  a  run  of  six  weeks  there  to 
good  business.  The  expenses  were  heavv, 
however,  and  the  piece  was  adjudged  un- 


146      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

profitable  for  the  road,  and  was  with- 
drawn on  that  account.  I  was  seized 
with  the  idea  that  there  was  material  in 
the  piece,  and  that  it  could  be  worked 
into  a  great  popular  success.  The  heavy 
scenery  would  have  to  be  simplified,  the 
plot  condensed,  etc. ;  and  I  mentioned  my 
convictions  to  my  wife. 

My  excuse  for  the  introduction  of  this 
subject  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  is  to 
record  a  fact  which  we  deemed  to  be  most 
important  at  the  time,  and  that  is  that  we 
made  our  first  bank  deposit  during  the  run 
of  the  "Pavements  of  Paris,"  now  some 
eight  years  ago.  Mr.  Colville  gave  me  a  let- 
ter of  introduction  to  his  bankers,  and  with 
a  kindly  hand-shake  said  :  "  I  don't  know 
any  one  I  am  more  delighted  to  introduce 
or  to  indorse."    The  opening  of  our  bank 


FELIX  morris's  reminiscences.     147 

account  was  brought  about  by  the  most 
careful  management,  of  course,  and  by  a 
systematic  saving  and  curtailing — a  con- 
stant watchfulness  of  corners.  It  meant 
self-denial  in  many  ways,  but  we  were 
convinced  from  actual  experience  that  Mr. 
Micawber's  advice  as  to  the  expenditure 
of  an  annual  income  was  absolutely  cor- 
rect, and  the  only  way  to  insure  happiness 
or  success  was  by  living  a  little  within 
one's  income.  We  have  continued  our 
plans  with  satisfactory  results,  and  "the 
measure  of  meal "  has  never  become  ex- 
hausted, and  the  "cruse  of  oil"  has  not 
run  dry. 

As  this  is  the  last  opportunity  I  may 
have  of  mentioning  Mr.  Samuel  Colville's 
name,  it  is  my  duly  to  record  my  obliga- 
tions to  him.     I  liked  him  very  much.    The 
7 


148      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

feeling  was  mutual.  He  always  thought 
of  me  in  any  of  his  many  productions. 
His  word  was  his  bond.  His  interest  in 
me  was  most  kindly,  and  many  is  the  loan 
he  has  obliged  me  with  to  tide  over  some 
unexpected  difficulty.  His  advice  was 
always  sound  and  his  business  ideas  were 
excellent.  I  was  greatly  indebted  to  him, 
and  we  venerate  his  memory. 

I  was  engaged  to  create  a  part  in  Bart- 
ley  Campbell's  new  piece  entitled  "Sepa- 
ration." The  offer  was  made  in  glowing 
terms  and  was  considered  at  the  time  quite 
a  recognition  for  me,  as  the  rest  of  the  cast 
was  composed  of  the  stock  of  the  Union 
Square  Theater.  It  was  an  excellent  com- 
pany, too,  with  Charles  Coghlan  in  the 
lead,  Mr.  Parselle  in  the  old  men  parts 
(and  how  admirable  he  was)!      Mr.  Stod- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       1 49 

dard  played  eccentrics  in  a  manner  at 
once  unctuous,  quaint,  artistic  and  mag- 
netic. And  what  a  simple,  kindly  soul  he 
is!  I  never  heard  him  speak  of  himself 
on  any  occasion.  Joseph  Whiting  was 
also  in  the  cast,  also  Eleanor  Carey,  Maud 
Harrison,  Effie  Ellsler,  Mrs.  Phillips. 
Altogether  the  company  was  excellent  and 
the  production  a  great  success.  Bartley 
Campbell's  work  was  lauded  by  press  and 
public,  and  the  Union  Square  Theater 
night  after  night  was  filled  to  overflowing. 
The  one  hundredth  performance  of  the 
piece  was  celebrated  with  a  supper  in  Del- 
monico's  best  style.  This  was  tendered  to 
the  company  by  Bartley  Campbell.  Joseph 
Howard,  Jr.,  Steele  Mackaye  and  several 
other  distinguished  guests  attended,  and 
the  evening  was  in  every  way  a  memor- 


I  50      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

able  one.  Mr.  Campbell  had  devised  a 
number  of  surprises  for  the  ladies,  one  of 
which  was  a  canary  bird  cunningly  hidden 
in  what  appeared  to  be  a  mould  of  Char- 
lotte Russe.  Each  lady  was  served  in 
this  way.  The  floral  decorations  were 
beautiful,  too,  and  the  speeches  were 
worth  listening  to.  There  is  no  happier 
after-dinner  speaker  than  Steele  Mackaye, 
and  no  one  can  be  more  entertaining 
than  Mr,  Howard.  The  eulogies  be- 
stowed upon  Bartley  Campbell  touched 
him  to  the  heart,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  he  concluded  his  remarks  with  any- 
thing like  coherency.  The  disease  which 
at  last  proved  fatal  was  already  making 
inroads  upon  him,  and  the  haziness  of 
infancy  was  returning.  He  was  very  sad. 
His  fate  was  really  terrible.      His  was  a 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.      I5I 

bound  from  penury  to  comparative  afilu- 
ence.  He  was  a  great  worker,  and  suc- 
cess seemed  ever  at  his  elbow.  Fortune 
toyed  with  him  for  awhile  and  then  re- 
morselessly, as  she  sometimes  does,  flung 
him  over,  bereft  of  everything.  Death 
was  his  best  friend. 

The  "Pavements  of  Paris"  had  again 
tempted  fortune  under  the  capable  man- 
agement of  Mr.  John  Rickaby,  but  with 
no  better  results,  when  it  occurred  to  my 
wife  to  lay  my  proposition  before  Messrs. 
Colville  and  Rickaby.  They  were  averse 
to  any  further  outlay.  INIr,  Colville  had 
already  sunk  eighteen  thousand  dollars  in 
the  piece,  and  it  was  hoi)eless.  "But," 
urged  my  wife,  "  my  husband  will  do  the 
work  on  approval."  And  so  permission 
was  eventually  granted,  and  I  set  to  work. 


152      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

I  reconstructed  the  piece,  wrote  in  one 
catchy,  clap-trappy  act,  founded  on  an 
act  in  the  "Two  Orphans,"  wrote  up  the 
comedy  scenes,  making  them  part  and 
parcel  of  the  main  plot,  simplified  the 
heavy  scenery,  opened  the  piece  with  a 
strong  prologue  and  put  in  a  hissing, 
whistling  locomotive  steaming  on  the  stage 
in  the  last  act  as  a  grand  and  novel 
feature  of  the  nineteenth  century.  My  re- 
vised version  was  received  with  acclaim. 
An  excellent,  hard-working,  experienced 
company  was  engaged,  and  after  much 
careful  preparation  we  started  for  Chicago 
one  sweltering  August  day. 

McVickar's  Theater  was  the  scene  of 
our  triumph,  for  so  it  proved.  The  melo- 
drama caught  the  fancy  of  the  public. 
Our  original  lime  was  extended  from  two 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.      153 

weeks  to  four,  and  our  business  was 
extraordinary  in  spite  of  hot  weatiier.  The 
papers  considered  the  work  far  ahead  of 
the  ordinary  melodrama.  There  were 
some  picturesque  views  and  tableaux  of 
the  rag-picker's  side  of  Parisian  life,  wiih 
a  quaint  wedding  procession,  winding  up 
with  a  wild  bacchanal.  The  curtain  used 
to  go  up  and  down  five  and  six  times  on 
one  particular  stage  picture.  The  debt, 
on  account  of  the  original  production,  was 
soon  wiped  out,  and  there  was  nothing  on 
the  road  that  season  as  successful  as  the 
"  Pavements  of  Paris. " 

In  all  my  experience  I  never  remember 
any  company  that  worked  so  admirably 
together  as  this  one  of  ours.  John  Rick- 
aby  had  used  great  judgment  in  his  selec- 
tions.  'Each  actor  was  physically  qualified 


154      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

for  his  part,  and  was  at  the  same  time 
thoroughly  experienced.  Harold  Fosberg, 
for  instance,  was  a  seedy  representative  of 
disgraced  nobility,  with  the  manners  of  a 
courtier  and  the  principles  of  a  pickpocket. 
In  this  grimly  humorous  style  of  part  he 
was  unequaled.  I  recall  a  performance 
of  Robert  Macaire,  by  Fosberg,  years  ago 
in  Albany,  which  I  have  never  seen 
equaled.  He  had  the  height  of  the  great 
Frederic  Lemaitre  (the  original  Robert 
Macaire)  and  much  of  the  eccentric  bra- 
vado characteristic  of  that  great  actor ;  also 
broad  flashes  of  intensity  and  a  strong  vein 
of  irresistible  humor. 

So  pleased  was  Mr.  John  Rickaby  with 
general  results  that  he  came  to  me  towards 
the  end  of  the  season  with  a  proposition 
to  adapt,  or  rather  dramatize  ' '  YoUng  Mrs. 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES,       I  55 

Geoffrey, "by  the  Duchess,  for  Miss  Helen 
Dauvray,  He  was  to  be  that  lady's  man- 
ager the  following  season,  and  the  piece 
had  to  be  ready  in  four  weeks.  I  read 
the  novel,  at  once  realized  the  stupendous 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  making  a  play 
out  of  such  a  mass  of  rubbish,  and  felt 
inclined  not  to  entertain  the  proposition, 
but  finally  yielded  and  made  the  attempt. 
The  silly,  impossible  plot  was  of  very  little 
assistance  to  me.  I  was  exhausted,  more- 
over, the  work  of  the  season  having  been 
arduous.  I  had  played  two  parts  at  every 
performance,  both  very  distinct  and  very 
laborious,  and  I  felt,  with  such  material, 
my  labor  in  Miss  Dauvray 's  behalf  would 
be  in  vain.  I  struggled  on,  however,  and 
handed  in  Act  I,  which  was  deemed  per- 
fectly satisfactory.     Each  succeeding  week 


156      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

found  an  act  complete  and  accepted,  and 
in  the  stipulated  time  the  play  was  finished 
and  payments  were  made  according  to 
agreement. 

I  record  herewith  my  admiration  of  and 
gratitude  to  John  Rickaby,  who  was  a 
wonderfully  excellent  business  man,  a 
steadfast  friend  and  the  first  of  American 
managers,  perhaps,  to  pick  me  especially 
out  of  the  rut  and  place  me  on  some  dis- 
tinct eminence.  His  faith  and  absolute 
confidence  in  me  were  unbounded,  and 
when  he  died  we  lost  a  true  friend,  indeed. 
The  reason  of  the  whole  inexplicable 
hurry  afterwards  transpired.  Miss  Dau- 
vray  had  determined  to  make  her  re-appear- 
ance by  a  certain  date,  and,  having  taken 
a  fancy  to  the  character  of  Young  Mrs. 
Gocfjrey,  she  seemed  to  think  any  mediuni 


fELiJc  morris's  reminiscences.     157 

would  do  for  her  introduction  to  a  New 
York  public.  That  object  once  attained, 
the  rest,  she  believed,  would  be  plain 
sailing.  There  was  no  lack  of  funds. 
The  Star  Theater  was  engaged,  and  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  scenery  and  upholstery 
that  could  be  asked  for  to  ensure  success 
was  supplied.  An  excellent  company 
was  engaged,  and  the  piece  entitled 
"  ]\Iona  "  w'as  produced.  It  was  a  failure. 
It  ran  for  three  weeks,  but  was  then  with- 
drawn. It  was  the  means,  however,  of 
placing  E.  H.  Sothern  in  a  more  prom- 
inent position  before  the  public  than  he 
had  hitherto  occupied.  He  played  an 
eccentric  part  in  "  Mona,"  and  made  a  hit 
which  led  to  his  re-engagement  b\'  Miss 
Dauvray  in  subsequent  productions,  and 
brought  him   eventually  to  the  notice  of 


158      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

the  Frohmans,  and  thus  indirectly  the 
general  public  have  gained  by  my  failure 
in  Mr.  Sothern's  well-merited  success  and 
universal  popularity  as  the  portrayer  of  the 
Burglar,  Lord  Chtmiley,  Allan  Rolliit, 
etc.,  etc.  The  result  of  my  attempt  at 
adaptation,  although  expected,  was  a 
severe  blow  to  my  pride.  A  thousand 
dollars  had  been  paid  for  my  work  without 
a  grumble,  a  fact  that  intensified  my  de- 
spair. Overwork  did  not  account  for  the 
failure,  and  an  increased  bank  account 
would  not  bring  sleep  to  my  weary  brain. 
Mrs.  Felix  suggested  a  trip  to  England, 
and  her  proposition  was  eagerly  enter- 
tained. Fourteen  years  had  elapsed  since 
I  left  my  native  land.  The  change  would 
be  beneficial,  I  told  myself,  and  I  would 
return  within  a  month  restored  in  health, 


Tin-:    SCOTCH    PROFESSOR. 


tELlX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       1^9 

and  ready  to  renew  the  struggle.  The 
next  chapter  will  reveal  how  I  went,  what 
I  did  and  ihe  length  of  lime  that  did  elapse 
before  I  returned  to  America. 

XI. 

I  landed  in  England  after  an  absence  of 
fourteen  years,  and  found  myself  almost  a 
stranger  there,  although  relatives  were 
alive  and  former  friends  still  in  existence. 
We  looked  so  different  to  each  other — so 
shop-worn  and  battered  by  the  hand  of 
time — we  had  diverged  so  completely  in 
our  careers  that  we  seemed  to  have  little 
or  nothing  in  common,  and  the  feeling  of 
disappointment  that  came  over  me  was  no 
doubt  shared  by  them.  I  had  been  an  un- 
known quantity  for  so  many  years  that, 
although  my  welcome  was  a  kindly  one, 


1  6o     FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

I  felt  it  was  extended  to  me  more  from  a 
sense  of  duty  than  from  the  old-time  love 
and  family  feeling. 

I  had  been  irregular  in  my  correspond- 
ence, as  one  is  apt  to  be  when  the 
Struggle  is  unremitting  and  frequently 
overwhelming.  It  was  my  own  fault,  but 
I  could  not  help  realizing  that  "  the  place 
thereof  knew  me  no  more,"  and  I  deter- 
mined at  once  to  return  to  my  family  in 
America.  I  called  in  at  Charing  Cross, 
on  my  way  to  the  steamship  office,  for  my 
letters,  and  found  one  from  an  old  Mon- 
treal friend,  asking  me  to  meet  him  that 
day  at  the  Conservative  Club.  I  kept  the 
appointment,  and  was  amazed  to  find  that 
he  wanted  me  to  play  in  a  piece  to  be  pro- 
duced in  two  weeks  from  that  date  at  the 
Strand  Theater.     It  was  a  localized  ver- 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       l6l 

sion  of  "Ultimo"  or  "The  Big  Bonanza," 
as  it  was  called  in  America.  The  title 
given  to  it  in  Lonilon  was  "On  'Change." 
I  was  to  play  the  part  of  the  Professor, 
and  to  make  it  more  realistic  I  was  to  use 
the  Scotch  dialect.  My  friend  felt  certain 
the  Scotch  impersonation  would  attract 
more  attention,  as  nothing  of  the  kind  had 
been  attempted  in  London  for  years.  I 
agreed  to  everything,  as  it  was  for  a 
matinee  performance  only,  and  my  per- 
formance of  the  part  was  merely  to  oblige 
my  friend,  who  appeared  to  have  set  his 
heart  upon  the  production.  The  part  was 
placed  in  my  hands.  I  re-wrote  it  in  the 
Scotch  dialect,  cabled  my  wife  and 
daughter  to  start  immediately  for  London, 
and  set  about  a  most  careful  preparation 
of  the  part.     I  attended  the  rehearsals  and 


1 62      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCE^•CES. 

felt  very  shy  and  uncomfortable,  although 
I  received  the  kindest  consideration  from 
the  company.  Mr.  William  Farren  (a 
grand  old  actor,  unapproachable  to-day 
in  his  line)  played  the  opposite  part  to 
me.  Monsieur  Marius  was  our  stage 
manager;  and  as  our  opening  date  came 
near,  I  could  see  that  my  efforts  at  re- 
hearsals had  made  no  particular  impres- 
sion on  M.  Marius  or  any  other  of  those 
interested  in  the  production. 

I  confess  that  I  held  myself  well  in 
hand,  doing  everything  that  was  neces- 
sary, but  repressing  the  one  touch  of 
nature  and  omitting  the  minute  details. 
These  finishing  touches  I  most  carefully 
worked  over  in  private.  In  the  meantime 
my  wife  and  daughter  had  arrived,  and  we 
were  glad  to  be  together  again.     The  mati- 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.      l6j 

nee  performance  of  "On  'Change"  was 
to  take  place  on  Tuesday,  and  we  made 
arrangements  to  start  for  New  York  by  the 
White  Star  Line  the  following  Thursday. 
Not  a  word  had  been  said  about  me  in 
any  of  the  preliminary  press  notices.  My 
name  appeared  in  the  cast  as  if  I  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  making  a  nightly  appear- 
ance before  the  great  London  public  for 
years  past,  and  on  account  of  that  nothing 
was  expected  of  me.  I  was  a  simple 
nonentity,  and  my  wife  and  I  both  said 
that  if  the  whole  thing  was  a  failure  no 
harm  could  come  of  it,  and  that  we  could, 
at  any  rate,  say  we  made  "one  consecu- 
tive appearance "  in  the  great  English 
metropolis. 

We  were  relegated  to  a  cubby- hole  of  a 
dressing-room  near  the  flies,  on  the  event- 


164      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

ful  Tuesday  afternoon,  and  I  must  con- 
fess to  a  very  considerable  degree  of  trep- 
idation and  nervousness  as  my  make-up 
progressed.  We  comforted  ourselves  with 
the  idea  that  the  ordeal  would  soon  be 
over,  and  thus  fortified  I  faced,  for  the 
first  lime  in  my  life,  a  London  public. 
The  house  was  crowded,  and  the  audience 
was  silent  and  most  attentive.  I  was 
listened  to  for  a  short  time  very  quietly. 
Suddenly  something  seemed  to  strike  the 
audience  as  being  mirth-provoking  and 
from  that  moment  peal  after  peal  of 
laughter  greeted  the  sayings  and  doings  of 
the  Scotch  Professor.  His  national  char- 
acteristics were  recognized;  his  tesliness, 
his  frugality,  his  egotism — every  little  point 
was  taken  up  and  endorsed  in  a  manner 
that  was  almost  bewildering  to  me. 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       1 65 

Between  the  acts  my  wife  and  I  com- 
pared notes.  I  thought  the  piece  was  a 
success,  but  she  felt  uncertain.  A  Lon- 
don audience  was  more  demonstrative 
than  ours,  she  argued,  and  so  we  doubted 
and  wavered  in  our  opinion  until  the 
final  curtain  dropped.  In  the  meantime, 
and  unknown  to  us,  a  popular  manager 
had  already  negotiated  for  the  production  of 
"On 'Change"  for  a  run.  As  my  wife  and 
I  quietly  prepared  to  leave  the  theater,  we 
were  set  upon  by  a  small  mob  of  congrat- 
ulators.  We  felt  very  much  embarrassed, 
and  thought  such  enthusiasm  unwarranted. 

The  morrow  set  our  minds  at  rest,  how- 
ever. Every  newspaper  in  London  con- 
tained detailed  notices  of  the  piece.  It 
was  pronounced  the  hit  of  the  season;  the 
great  dailies,  The  Times,   Standard,  Daily 


i66    FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

Telegraph,  Daily  Neivs  and  Morning 
Chronicle  were  full  of  the  most  elaborate 
and  carefully  written  criticisms. 

In  all  my  career  I  had  never  evoked  half 
the  eulogies  lavished  on  me  by  the  London 
press.  Their  recognition  was  unstinted 
and  unanimous.  They  placed  me  unhesi- 
tatingly on  a  par  with  their  best  character 
actors.  From  absolute  obscurity,  at  least 
so  far  as  London  was  concerned,  I  leapt 
into  the  sunshine  of  reputation.  Such  an 
achievement,  the  press  declared,  was 
almost  without  a  parallel.  Even  Punch's 
commendation  was  absolute ;  its  article 
ending  with  the  following  :  "We  wonder 
if  the  Scotch  Professor  will  have  shrewd- 
ness enough  to  make  the  same  use  of 
the  hit  he  has  made  in  "On 'Change" 
that    Mr.    Sothern   did    in    "Lord    Dun- 


FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES.       1 67 

dreary"  and  Mr.  Jefferson  in   "  Rip  Van 
Winkle." 

I  trust  I  may  not  be  misunderstood  in 
my  Statements.  My  motive  is  not  one  of 
self-laudation  or  exaggeration.  I  state  the 
incidents  and  facts  as  they  occurred,  and 
my  personal  friends  insist  that  it  is  my 
duty  to  publish  them,  as  they  have  never 
in  any  way  been  referred  to  since  my  re- 
turn to  America.  It  was  indeed  the  tide 
in  affairs  which,  if  taken  at  the  flood,  would 
have  led  to  fortune,  but  from  untoward  cir- 
cumstances we  were  unable  to  avail  our- 
selves of  the  golden  opportunity.  It  was 
conceded  that  the  Scoich  Professor  (nobody 
ever  spoke  of  me  in  the  matter — it  was 
always  the  Scoich  Professor)  was  indispen- 
sible  to  the  production  of  "  On 'Change, " 
and  I  referred  the  applicants  for  my  services 


1 68    FELIX  morris's  reminiscences. 

to  Mrs.  Felix  as  my  business  manager.  It 
is  needless  to  say  she  made  most  satis- 
factory terms  with  them  and  I  was  engaged 
for  the  run  of  the  piece. 

In  commenting  upon  my  singular  good 
fortune,  Mr.  Harrison  Grey  Fiske,  of  the 
New  Yoik  Mirror,  said:  "Felix  Morris 
has  done  in  London,  in  one  afternoon, 
more  than  he  has  been  able  to  accomplish 
in  fourteen  years  of  conscientious  and  un- 
tiring effort  in  America."  It  did  appear 
so  at  the  time,  perhaps,  but  on  reflection 
it  will  be  seen  how  widely  different  is  the 
situation  between  the  London  stage  and 
that  of  America.  London  is  the  artistic 
and  authoritative  focus  of  the  land.  The 
greater  enthusiasm  of  the  London  public 
is  accounted  for  by  greater  familiarity  in 
my  case  with  the  character  portrayed.   The 


FELIX    MOKRIS'S    RKJIINISCENCES.       169 

Scotch  Professor  could  never  have  created 
the  impression  here  that  he  did  there,  be- 
cause he  would  be  an  unfamiliar  type  here. 
Again,  we  have  several  centers  ox  foci.  The 
endorsement  of  one  is  not  always  followed 
by  the  approval  of  the  others.  A  New 
York  success  often  fails  to  win  favor  in 
Boston  or  Philadelphia  or  Chicago. 

The  hits  I  had  made  in  America  from 
time  to  time  were  invariably  followed  by 
the  disappearances  incident  to  the  piece 
being  taken  en  tour  after  the  run  in  New 
York.  It  is  only  by  a  constant  and  steady 
appearance  before  the  public  that  any 
serious  and  lasting  impression  can  be 
made. 

We  produced  "On  'Change"  at  Toole's 
Theater  in  August,  and  it  ran  at  various 
theaters  in  London  uninterruptedly  until 


ijO      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

the  end  of  the  following  May.  We  played 
it,  counting  matinees  in  London,  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  and  at  Brighton,  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  consecutive  times,  and  Mr. 
Hawtree,  of  the  Globe  Theater,  said  to 
me  that  if  he  had  owned  the  piece  he 
would  have  gotten  three  years  out  of  it. 
Dissentions  between  the  partners,  how- 
ever, brought  things  to  a  climax,  and  this 
valuable  theatrical  property  was  prema- 
turely withdrawn,  although  still  playing  to 
excellent  business.  In  the  meantime,  we 
were  most  comfortably  ensconced  in  a  de- 
lightful little  villa  in  St.  John's  Wood. 
We  made  some  very  pleasant  acquaintances 
among  our  artist  neighbors.  We  had 
several  friends  from  America  to  spend  the 
summer  with  us,  and  the  arrival  of  a  little 
English    daughter    enlarged    our   family 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES.       I7I 

circle   and  added   to  our  happiness  and 
general  prosperity. 

After  playing  the  Sco/c/i  Professor  for 
some  fifty  performances,  it  was  rumored 
about  that  I  was  a  Scotchman  and  could 
play  nothing  but  that  style  of  part,  so  I 
produced,  as  a  part  of  the  same  bill,  the 
farce,  "Turn  Him  Out,"  in  which  I  played 
the  part  of  a  Cockney  costermonger.  The 
public  was  delighted  and  the  press  was 
most  generous  in  its  approval.  After  that, 
anything  I  attempted  received  the  kindest 
consideration.  During  the  run  of  "On 
'Change  "  I  was  surprised  one  night  by  a 
knock  at  my  dressing-room  door.  I 
opened  it  and  found  a  pleasant-faced  little 
man  standing  there.  I  asked  him  in.  He 
said,  warmly,  shaking  my  hand  at  the 
time:   "I  won't  interrupt  you,  and  I  want 


172      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

to  see  your  next  act,  but  I  felt  I  must 
come  and  congratulate  you  on  your  splen- 
did work.  My  name  is  John  Hare;  good- 
by,  good  by  ;  come  and  see  me  !  "  A 
kinder  tribute  was  never  offered  by  one 
actor  to  another.  Here  was  an  artist  in 
my  own  particular  line  of  business,  a 
great  popular  favorite  and  successful  man- 
ager, who  went  out  of  his  way  to  con- 
gratulate and  encourage  me.  I  was  in- 
deed touched  by  his  kindness  and  shall 
always  remember  it. 

We  had  the  most  distinguished  audi- 
ences. The  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales 
and  other  members  of  the  royal  family 
were  present  on  various  occasions,  but  in 
spite  of  all  my  success  I  was  unhappy, 
for  my  health  was  wretched.  I  shunned 
society.     I  only  popped  my  nose  into  the 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCKS.       I  73 

Savage  Club  once,  and  immediately  with- 
drew it  again,  as  there  appeared  to  be  a 
very  animated  discussion  going  on  and 
clouds  of  tobacco  smoke  filled  the  air. 
The  Green-room  Club  I  visited  twice. 
It  was  most  cosy  and  pleasant,  but  I  had 
no  heart  for  such  visits,  which  was,  of 
course,  unfortunate,  for  in  England  it  is 
necessary  to  be  seen  and  to  meet  people. 
They  are  enthusiastic  and  hospitable  and 
they  want  to  know  what  manner  of  man 
you  are.  If  I  had  been  in  good  health 
I  would  have  taken  a  theater,  and  with 
some  good  play  by  a  writer  of  acknowl- 
edged ability  would  have  followed  up  the 
advantage  1  had  secured  from  my  triumph 
in  "  On 'Change. "  This  course  being  im- 
practicable, I  went  starring  in  the  prov- 
inces ;  I  visited  those  cities  that  had  not 


1  74      FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENCES. 

already  been  assailed  by  the  country  com- 
pany which  had  been  playing  the  piece 
during  the  whole  of  the  London  run. 
Glasgow  was  one  city  that  we  played  in, 
and  Belfast  another,  and  Dublin  and 
Cork  were  also  in  the  list.  In  Ireland 
it  was  decided  that  I  should  play  Kerry  as 
a  first  piece.  Fortunately  for  me  Mr. 
Boucicault  had  not  played  there  for  many 
years,  and  his  great  impersonation  of 
Kerry  was  but  dimly  remembered.  On 
that  account  mine  found  favor  and  was 
splendidly  received.  It  was  rather  beard- 
ing the  lion  in  his  den,  I  thought,  but  the 
cordial  sons  of  Erin  took  me  to  their 
hearts  as  one  of  their  own  countrymen, 
some  of  the  newspapers  going  so  far  as  to 
locate  my  birthplace  in  the  County  Cork. 
My  manager  would   not  hear  of  any  cor- 


FELIX    MORRIS  S    REMINISCENXKS.       I  75 

rection  being  made  or  of  any  information 
being  supplied  that  would  dispel  the  illu- 
sion that  all  the  Morrises  were  of  Irish 
origin. 

Of  my  experience  since  that  memorable 
trip  to  Ireland,  of  my  final  appearance  in 
England  and  of  our  return  to  America, 
much  might  be  written  that  I  have  left 
unsaid.  Whenever  I  have  thought  of  just 
where  to  end  these  random  recollections, 
it  has  occurred  to  me  that  the  peculiarity 
about  all  reminiscences  is  that  they  resem- 
ble Mr.  Tennyson's  Brook  ;  and  so,  if  I 
have  happily  escaped  the  charge  thus  far 
of  running  on  forever,  let  me  save  my 
reputation  by  ending  my  story  not  very 
far  from  here. 

For  the  attention  my  reminiscences 
have  received  and  for  the  many  letters  that 


176      FELIX    morris's    REMINISCENCES. 

have  come  to  me  from  those  whose  sym- 
pathies are  quickened  by  the  trials  and 
triumphs  of  a  fellow  creature,  I  am  deeply 
grateful.  If  I  have  done  anything  in  re- 
turn to  interest  those  who  have  followed 
my  unpretentious  narrative,  I  shall  feel, 
to  paraphrase  a  somewhat  overworked 
comparison,  that  though  a  man  may  relin- 
quish his  lofty  aspirations  to  excel  in 
tragedy  and  consent  to  tread  the  more  pro- 
saic walks  of  comedy,  still,  if  by  honestly 
telling  the  story  of  his  life  he  instructs, 
entertains  or  encourages  others,  then  may 
it  be  said  of  him  that  "he  has  not  lived 
in  vain." 


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